Roadworks Lead To Archaeological Find (Contributed)

ARCHAEOLOGISTS carrying out a watching brief for Oxfordshire County Council on the re-surfacing of the High Street in Oxford City, have found a stone drain that can be dated to the 18th century.
The well-preserved drain ran into a massive stone-lined chamber which may originally have funnelled the surface water into the Thames at Magdalen Bridge.

Approximate dating was helped by the discovery of a glass disc seal from a wine bottle or decanter near the drain. The seal was embossed with ?Mag Coll? (Magdalen College) and the date 1763.

As wine was sold by the measure, regular customers like the colleges, had their own bottles that could be distinguished in this way.

Paul Smith, County Council Archaeologist, said: ?Perhaps the college students treated the 18th century highway drainage engineers to a friendly lunchtime drink or perhaps it could have been broken during a boisterous May Day celebration.
“This is another hidden piece of ?Town and Gown? history that thousands of people drive over every year.
“It certainly vindicates our requirement for archaeological work on this scheme – something that is fully supported by the county council.”

The scheme will continue to be monitored by archaeologists and the current finds are being analysed by Oxford Archaeology who carried out the detailed recording of the drain.

What is the current work on the High Street?

The latest phase of the current work in the High Street finished recently, improvements that included upgrading the worn out road, new drainage, road markings, traffic signals and illuminated bollards.