Broadacre director, Chris Duckworth (left) and Jason Mole of AOC Archaeology Group, pictured examining the archaeological discovery at Broadacre’s new development in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire. Courtesy Broadacre Homes
Archaeologists investigating the site of a housing development in West Yorkshire believe they have found an extension of the renowned Ferrybridge Henge, a partially lost prehistoric ceremonial monument dating from the Neolithic period.
Located near Pontefract where builders Broadacre Homes are planning to build a row of mews homes, archaeologists from AOC Archaeology Group have discovered a field system and drainage ditches just a few feet below the ground that are thought to date back to the Iron Age or Romano-British period.
“This is a very useful discovery as it paints a broader picture of an area which is already renowned for its historical significance,” said Jason Mole of AOC Archaeology Group. “The field system and drainage were built over 2,000 years ago.”
Thanks to a combination of centuries of farming, its proximity to the A1 and M62 road systems and a nearby power station, little of Ferrybridge Henge can now be seen. However, in the Neolithic period it was the focus of a wider ritual landscape.
Today it is regarded as a site of national importance and its environmental remains have helped to build up a picture of the local ecology almost 4,000 years ago.
Broadacre Homes say that when the archaeologists have finished their investigations and the housing development is complete the company will look to incorporate a ‘suitable monument’ which recognises the site’s ancient past.