21/07/2026
Royal Oak update!
After taking a week off during the recent heatwave (the safety and wellbeing of our archaeologists always comes first), we’re back on site and making progress.
We’ve uncovered the footings of a substantial rectangular building, around 4m wide and at least 10m long. It’s difficult to be certain of its full extent as it continues beyond the northern edge of the excavation, and much of it was heavily grubbed out when the building was demolished.
The surviving foundations are built from large sandstone blocks with handmade red brick above. Unfortunately, preservation is poor because the sandstone bedrock lies so close to the surface. The original foundations were therefore very shallow, making it easy for later demolition crews to remove much of the structure.
To make things even more interesting, it now appears that a row of Victorian terraced houses may have been built on exactly the same alignment after the pub was demolished, adding another layer to the story and making interpretation rather more challenging!
The finds are beginning to tell their own tale, however. Some of the pottery recovered so far, particularly fragments of Staffordshire slipware, points towards a 17th-century date for at least part of the building’s occupation, which is certainly encouraging.
Perhaps the most exciting discovery this week hasn’t come from the trench at all. We’ve managed to track down a fantastic historic photograph showing the Royal Oak still standing before its demolition. It’s a wonderful reminder that the stone footings we’re uncovering once supported a thriving village pub. The photograph is already helping us compare what survives below ground with what once stood above it.
Our next job is to finish recording everything we’ve uncovered before heading back to the office to pore over early maps and historic documents. With a bit of archaeological detective work, we’re hoping to piece together the story of the Royal Oak and better understand how the evidence in the ground relates to the building shown in the photograph.
We’ll keep you updated as the investigation continues!
