Preserve the past

A group dedicated to preserving the heritage of Southwell has backed calls to protect Roman remains found in the town.

Southwell Heritage Trust believes a strip of land on the former Church Street site of Minster School should be preserved.

Southwell Town Council has raised concerns about the future development of the site, which is believed to house the remains of a significant Roman temple.

Kean Construction, which owns the land, hopes to build 35 houses on it.

The heritage trust has written to Mr Michael Evans, the head of planning at Newark and Sherwood District Council, to ask that a planning application submitted by Kean be reconsidered.

It has also asked that the land be bought for the public.

Copies of the letter have been sent to the chief executive of Nottinghamshire County Council, Mr Mick Burrows; the county council chairman, Mrs Joan Taylor; the district council’s chief executive, Mr Andrew Muter; the district council chairman, Mr Gordon Brooks; Minster School’s chairman of governors, Mr Nigel Turner; the Dean of Southwell, the Very Rev John Guille; and Southwell’s MP, Mr Patrick Mercer.

The letter said: “Southwell Heritage Trust strongly supports the proposal that a strategic strip of land containing the cold bath complex and the recently discovered wall as well as the mosaics, currently outside the development site, should be kept free from buildings.

“The benefit of this would be two-fold — it would allow future investigations of the site, now believed to be of national importance, to take place and would enable the historic remains to be marked out in the landscape, allowing for full interpretation through boards and signage across the strip.

“This would create a national heritage tourism site which would enable visitors to get the sheer sense of the Roman building activity in Southwell.

“We feel that every effort should be made to bring this strip of land into public ownership to safeguard these historic finds for future generations.”

The heritage trust was set up to create a heritage centre for Southwell but it also believes it is important to raise awareness of the historical importance of the town and its role in local and national tourism.

Archaeologists moved on to the site in October, ahead of its proposed redevelopment.

In November, a 4ft Roman wall was found, which is now believed to be part of a large Roman temple.

The county council’s senior archaeologist, Ursilla Spence, described the potential discovery as extremely significant and could explain why the minster was built where it was.