Wakefield: Remains of Roman villa and kilns found in ex-pit village

Archaeologists found rare items from the Roman period during a dig at Farm Lane, Fitzwilliam

The remains of a Roman villa and rare kilns dating back 2,000 years have been uncovered during work on a building site in West Yorkshire.

Archaeologists made the finds during excavation work ahead of a social housing development in Fitzwilliam, near Wakefield.

The items were found at Farm Lane.

David Fowles, from Wakefield Council, said: "We thought we'd never find anything but a supermarket trolley... It is absolutely brilliant."

He added: "It turns out there were 16 Roman kilns there, the remains of what looks like a villa and what looks like an old medieval flour processing plant."

The finds are thought to include Roman kilns, a villa and a medieval flour processing plant

The dig was carried out by the West Yorkshire Joint Services' Archaeological Services, backed by Wakefield Council.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service archaeologists said the discovery of the rare kilns could help further understanding of what life was like in the area in centuries gone by.

It is not the first time historical finds have been made in the area.

In 2017, developers in nearby Pontefract discovered more than 30 Roman skeletons, alongside pottery, jewellery and building remains, while working on new houses.

The skeletons, believed to date from around 200AD, were described as a "unique" find.

In the same year, a Wakefield mother searching for a missing bolt from a garden strimmer found 17 silver-bronze Roman coins, believed to date back to between 335AD and 402AD.

And in 2005, contractors in Ferrybridge stumbled across a 2,400-year-old chariot burial site while working on an upgrade of the A1.