FASCINATING history has been unearthed by archaeologists in Barry.

Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd, working for the Vale of Glamorgan Council, has been excavating at Five Mile Lane (A4226) in Barry since 2017 as part of a road improvement project.

And during the work some highly significant historical remains were uncovered.

South Wales Argus:

This uncovered artifacts and structures, giving evidence of the people who inhabited the area from early prehistory through to the Roman period.

Finds included:

  • What is thought to have been a Roman mercenary buried with his sword;
  • Iron age farming tools;
  • Ancient burial sites;
  • The remnants of a series of round houses.

South Wales Argus:

Head of neighbourhood services and transport, Emma Reed, said: “It’s great to learn that the archaeological study at Five Mile Lane has uncovered such a detailed history of the area.

“The scheme has uncovered fascinating and at times surprising remains, that help us to understand the shaping of the agricultural landscape that we see today.”

Throughout the excavation work, representatives of the National Museum of Wales, GGAT, Cardiff University, and Cadw visited the site and liaised with Rubicon.

Following the investigations, Rubicon Heritage have published an archaeological e-book on the works undertaken between 2017-2019 and an interactive story map of their findings.

South Wales Argus:

Director of Red River Archaeology Group - which includes Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd - Mark Collard, said: “It was a privilege for our team to have delivered a project which added so many new discoveries about the archaeology and history of the Vale of Glamorgan.

“We are very pleased to be able now to share the results in such an accessible format with the communities of the area.” 

South Wales Argus:

The archaeological e-book and interactive story map is available at https://bit.ly/35ntTGm with detailed academic findings to be published towards the end of the year (2022) when the experts complete their analysis.