Surrey Archaeological Collections
Surrey Archaeological Society, 2003. (updated 2023) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000221. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 379
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000221
- How to cite using this DOI
SURREY ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS
Crop processing and burnt grain in Roman Croydon
JOANNA TAYLOR, LISA GRAY, IMOGEN POOLE, MALCOLM LYNE, LISA YEOMANS, JOHN BROWN, BARRY BISHOP, HILARY MAJOR and KEVIN HAYWARD
In advance of the redevelopment of land adjacent to 17 St Andrew's Road, Lower Coombe Street in the London Borough of Croydon, archaeological investigations were undertaken by Pre-Construct Archaeology between February and April 2005. Evidence showed that 1st century gravel quarry pits, possibly associated with the construction of the nearby London-Portslade road, had been re-used during the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. Large quantities of carbonised grain and chaff from the pits indicated that grain processing, in particular the parching of wheat, took place in the vicinity of the site during this time. During the 2nd/3rd centuries grain processing ceased and new boundaries were established. Ceramic building material retrieved from late 3rd/4th century dumping suggested that a well-appointed 1st/2nd century building, presumably located nearby, was demolished at this time. The cultural material as a whole indicated that there was an increase in activity in the area during the late 3rd/4th centuries, possibly as a consequence of new trade contacts. The abundant evidence for agricultural activity, coupled with the sizeable quantities of cultural material retrieved, strongly attested to the existence of a Roman settlement in the South Croydon area, located adjacent to the London-Portslade road.
