Britain’s HS2 railway is being built to transform modern transportation—but before construction could begin, archaeologists had to investigate what lay beneath the planned route.Ancient Roman amphitheater archaeological excavation showing circular design and stone ruins.
The result has been extraordinary.
Excavations carried out along the railway corridor have uncovered evidence spanning thousands of years of British history, from the Iron Age and Roman periods to Anglo-Saxon and medieval Britain—and even the beginnings of the modern railway age.
Among the discoveries are a remarkably preserved Roman-era wooden figure, Roman statues and a glass jug, a hoard of approximately 300 Iron Age coins, extensive Roman settlements, hundreds of Anglo-Saxon burials, medieval “witch marks,” an Elizabethan garden and the remains of an early railway roundhouse.
The scale of the archaeological investigation makes the HS2 programme particularly significant. What began as archaeological work required before construction has become one of the largest heritage investigations ever undertaken in Britain.
A 2,000-Year-Old Wooden Figure
One of the most unusual discoveries was a small human-like figure carved from wood during the early Roman period.
The sculpture was found preserved within a clay layer where a lack of oxygen had prevented the wood from decomposing.
Its clothing appears to resemble a tunic, while carved details such as the hair remain visible. Pottery recovered from the same ditch dates to approximately A.D. 43–70, supporting a first-century Roman date for the figure.
The purpose of the sculpture remains unknown.
Archaeologists have found examples of wooden carvings that appear to have been offered to gods, suggesting that the object could have had a religious or ritual purpose. However, researchers cannot yet establish who the figure represents or why it was created.
The survival of such an object is itself remarkable.
Wooden artefacts from Roman Britain are extremely rare because organic material normally decays rapidly. The waterlogged, oxygen-poor conditions at this particular location effectively created an archaeological time capsule.
Preserving the fragile figure
Recovering the wooden figure was only the beginning.
After nearly 2,000 years in waterlogged soil, the wood was extremely vulnerable. Allowing it to dry too rapidly could have caused it to crack, warp or collapse.
Conservators therefore kept the object wet while carefully cleaning it. It was then treated with polyethylene glycol, a substance used to provide structural support to deteriorated wood.
Finally, the figure was freeze-dried at approximately minus 40°C.
Only after this painstaking conservation process could researchers begin studying the object more closely.
The preserved details—including the hair and tunic—offer an unusually direct glimpse of an individual represented in Roman Britain.
A Medieval Church Built Over a Roman Mausoleum
Another extraordinary discovery emerged at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire.
Archaeologists investigating the remains of a medieval church discovered that the building had been constructed directly over an earlier Roman mausoleum.
The church itself dated to around 1080 and underwent renovations during the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries. It was abandoned in 1880 and eventually demolished in 1966.
For decades, its remains were hidden beneath vegetation.
During excavation, archaeologists investigated a circular ditch that they initially thought represented the foundation of a tower.
Instead, Roman artefacts began appearing.
Further excavation revealed several remarkable objects, including statues and an exceptionally well-preserved hexagonal glass Roman jug.
The preservation was particularly impressive given that the objects had remained underground for more than a millennium.
Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist at the site, described the discoveries as extraordinarily rare in Britain.
The statues were preserved well enough that archaeologists could make out the faces of the people they represented—providing an unusually intimate connection with the ancient inhabitants of Roman Britain.
A Field Museum Beside the Excavation
The Stoke Mandeville excavation also provided an unusual opportunity for the public.
A temporary field museum was established beside the archaeological dig, allowing visitors to watch archaeologists uncover Roman statues and medieval remains.
Instead of separating archaeological research from the public, the project effectively turned the excavation into a temporary live museum.
Visitors could see archaeological discoveries emerging from the ground while the excavation was still underway.
It demonstrated how major infrastructure projects can create opportunities not only for archaeological research but also for public engagement with Britain's heritage.
The Hillingdon Hoard: 300 Iron Age Coins
The HS2 excavations also uncovered an unexpected glimpse into Britain before the Roman conquest.
Archaeologists discovered approximately 300 Iron Age potins, now known as the Hillingdon Hoard.
The coins date to the first century B.C. and were struck in Marseilles, France, approximately 2,175 years ago.
Their designs are particularly striking.
One side features the head of the Greek god Apollo, while the other depicts a charging bull.
The discovery raises questions about how these foreign coins were used in Iron Age Britain.
At the time, barter remained an important means of exchanging goods and services, so archaeologists are uncertain whether the coins functioned as conventional currency.
Several possibilities have been suggested.
They may have marked a property boundary, served as offerings to the gods, or represented a hidden emergency reserve.
Their exact purpose remains unknown.
The coins were subsequently taken to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where they could be cleaned and preserved.
An Unexpected Roman Trading Town
One of the most significant discoveries along the HS2 route was a substantial Roman settlement known as Blackgrounds.
Remarkably, much of the settlement lay only about half a metre below the modern ground surface.
Archaeologists uncovered domestic and industrial buildings, wells, coins and numerous objects associated with everyday life.
The settlement also contained a substantial road approximately 10 metres wide.
Its scale and design suggest that Blackgrounds was more than a small rural settlement.
The road would have provided an important route for carts carrying goods into and out of the town, supporting the interpretation of the settlement as a trading centre.
Evidence suggests that the community was relatively prosperous.
Residents possessed jewellery, fine pottery, gaming objects and elaborate religious sculptures.
At its height, the settlement may have been home to hundreds of people.
But the archaeology also revealed darker aspects of Roman society.
Among the finds was part of a set of shackles, which may indicate either imprisonment or slavery.
James West, a site manager, described Blackgrounds as one of the most impressive sites discovered by the Museum of London Archaeology during the HS2 programme.
The settlement has the potential to transform understanding of the Roman landscape in the region.
Fleet Marston: Another Roman Town Emerges
Blackgrounds was not the only substantial Roman settlement investigated along the railway.
Near Aylesbury, archaeologists excavated parts of the Roman settlement at Fleet Marston, beside the Roman road known as Akeman Street.
The road connected Verulamium, near modern St Albans, with Corinium Dobunnorum, now Cirencester.
Excavations revealed domestic, commercial and industrial activity.
The site also contained a Roman cemetery with more than 400 burials.
Together, Blackgrounds and Fleet Marston demonstrate that the HS2 route crossed a densely occupied Roman landscape.
Rather than isolated villas and scattered artefacts, archaeologists are revealing interconnected settlements, roads, cemeteries and economic activity.
Medieval Witch Marks
The archaeological surprises did not end with Roman Britain.
At the medieval church site, archaeologists also identified examples of medieval graffiti and so-called “witch marks.”
These marks are enigmatic symbols carved into buildings and other surfaces.
Their precise purpose is not always certain.
Some may have been intended to protect buildings and their occupants from evil or supernatural forces, while other markings may have served entirely different functions, including possible practical or calendrical purposes.
Similar markings have been documented at medieval sites elsewhere in Britain.
Their presence adds another layer to the history of the church site, showing that the building was not simply a place of worship but a location where generations of people left their marks.
Anglo-Saxon Graves Reveal a Wealthy Community
HS2 archaeology has also provided new evidence for early medieval Britain.
Archaeologists uncovered a fifth- and sixth-century Anglo-Saxon burial site containing numerous graves.
Almost three-quarters of the graves contained high-quality grave goods.
The concentration of valuable objects suggests that the cemetery may have belonged to a relatively wealthy Anglo-Saxon community.
Some of the objects appear to have originated elsewhere in Europe, offering potential evidence for long-distance connections.
The graves and human remains are now helping researchers investigate questions about diet, health, social status, mobility and everyday life during a period sometimes referred to as Britain's “Dark Age.”
The cemetery is only one of several burial grounds identified during the HS2 archaeological programme.
Together, these graves provide researchers with a substantial body of evidence for studying communities that lived in Britain after the end of Roman rule.
Coleshill Manor’s Forgotten Elizabethan Garden
Not every major discovery required archaeologists to dig deep into the ground.
At Coleshill, aerial photography revealed traces of an enormous octagonal moat surrounding the remains of a historic manor.
Further investigation uncovered something even more unexpected: a remarkably well-preserved garden dating to around 1600.
The garden had previously been unknown.
Researchers believe it was created by Sir Robert Digby, an English courtier who owned the estate.
The elaborate garden appears to have been designed to demonstrate wealth and status.
Its scale makes the discovery particularly significant for the study of Elizabethan and early Jacobean landscapes.
Landscape historian Dr Paul Stamper described it as one of the most exciting Elizabethan gardens discovered in Britain.
Only a small number of gardens of comparable scale have been investigated archaeologically in recent decades.
The discovery therefore adds an important new example to the history of English garden design around 1600.
The World’s Oldest Railway Roundhouse?
The HS2 archaeology programme has also uncovered something much more recent.
At Curzon Street in Birmingham, archaeologists investigated the remains of an early railway roundhouse.
The structure was designed by Robert Stephenson and was operational by November 1837.
A railway roundhouse was used to turn, store and service locomotives.
The discovery may be older than the Derby roundhouse, which has traditionally been regarded as the world's oldest surviving example.
The find creates an extraordinary historical connection.
A 21st-century railway project has exposed the remains of one of the earliest monuments of Britain's railway revolution.
The archaeology of HS2 therefore stretches from prehistoric communities and Iron Age travellers through Roman towns and medieval churches to the birth of the modern railway itself.
Archaeology Before Construction
The sheer variety of discoveries is a reminder of what can remain hidden beneath apparently ordinary landscapes.
Before railway construction could begin, archaeologists were required to investigate the route.
This created an unprecedented opportunity to examine large stretches of Britain's archaeological landscape systematically.
The discoveries have included settlements, roads, cemeteries, religious objects, domestic artefacts, coins, buildings and landscapes.
Some were already suspected to exist.
Others were complete surprises.
The wooden Roman figure, for example, was an exceptionally unexpected discovery because organic material of that age rarely survives in such condition.
The Coleshill garden was similarly unknown before archaeological investigation.
From Excavation to Digital Legacy
The HS2 archaeology programme is now moving beyond excavation.
A consortium known as Access+ has been tasked with studying the discoveries in greater detail and creating a large digital archive.
The archive will be hosted by the Archaeology Data Service, making archaeological information available to researchers and the public.
The project also plans books, lectures, exhibitions and online material.
This means the end of excavation will not mark the end of HS2 archaeology.
Instead, researchers are entering a new phase in which thousands of artefacts, samples, photographs, measurements and excavation records can be studied together.
That research could reveal connections between sites that were not immediately obvious during fieldwork.
A Landscape Written in Layers
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the HS2 discoveries is not any individual artefact but the enormous chronological range represented along the route.
Iron Age communities left behind imported coins.
Roman inhabitants built towns, roads and monuments.
Anglo-Saxon communities established cemeteries and participated in European exchange networks.
Medieval people rebuilt earlier landscapes, sometimes unknowingly constructing churches over Roman structures.
Elizabethan landowners created elaborate gardens to display their wealth.
And in the 19th century, Britain's railway revolution transformed the landscape once again.
Each period left traces behind.
Many of those traces survived beneath fields, woodland, roads and later buildings until the HS2 archaeological programme brought them back into view.
Conclusion
Britain's HS2 railway has become much more than a modern infrastructure project.
Its archaeological investigations have exposed thousands of years of history hidden beneath the proposed route.
From a fragile Roman wooden figure and statues preserved for centuries to an Iron Age coin hoard, prosperous Roman trading towns, hundreds of Anglo-Saxon graves, medieval witch marks, an unknown Elizabethan garden and an early railway roundhouse, the discoveries demonstrate how much of Britain's past remains beneath the modern landscape.
And the story is far from over.
The excavation phase is giving way to years of conservation, laboratory analysis, research and digital publication.
The objects may have been removed from the ground, but archaeologists are only beginning to understand what they can tell us.
Beneath Britain's modern roads, fields and railway lines lies a remarkably layered past.
HS2 has simply given archaeologists an unprecedented opportunity to uncover it.
FAQ
What is the HS2 archaeology project?
HS2's archaeological programme investigates archaeological remains along the route of Britain's high-speed railway before construction takes place.
What are some of the most important HS2 discoveries?
Major discoveries include a rare Roman wooden figure, Roman statues and a glass jug, the Hillingdon Iron Age coin hoard, Roman settlements at Blackgrounds and Fleet Marston, Anglo-Saxon burials, medieval witch marks, an Elizabethan garden and an early railway roundhouse.
How old is the Roman wooden figure?
The wooden figure appears to date to the first century A.D., with pottery from the same ditch dated to approximately A.D. 43–70.
What was the Roman wooden figure used for?
Its precise purpose is unknown. Archaeologists have suggested that it may have had a religious or ritual function, but there is currently no confirmed identification of the figure.
What was found at Blackgrounds?
Blackgrounds included domestic and industrial buildings, a large road approximately 10 metres wide, wells, coins, jewellery, fine pottery, gaming objects and religious sculptures. Part of a set of shackles was also discovered.
What is the Hillingdon Hoard?
The Hillingdon Hoard consists of approximately 300 Iron Age potins dating to the first century B.C. The coins were struck in Marseilles and feature the head of Apollo and a charging bull.
What are witch marks?
“Witch marks” is a term used for various protective or enigmatic markings found on historic buildings. Their precise purpose can vary, and not every such mark can be confidently interpreted as protection against witchcraft or evil.
How many Anglo-Saxon graves were found?
The supplied source does not give the total number of graves in the Anglo-Saxon cemetery, but reports that almost three-quarters contained high-quality grave goods.
What was discovered at Coleshill?
Archaeologists identified an octagonal moat and a previously unknown garden dating to around 1600, believed to have been associated with Sir Robert Digby's estate.
Why is the HS2 archaeology programme significant?
Its enormous geographical scale has allowed archaeologists to investigate a large continuous corridor of Britain's landscape, revealing evidence from multiple periods and producing an unusually broad archaeological dataset.
