Image Credit: MOLA-Wessex Archaeology

Early Medieval Settlement Unearthed During Wind Farm Excavation

Archaeologists working ahead of the East Anglia TWO and ONE North offshore wind farm developments have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown early medieval settlement near Friston, Suffolk. The site appears to have housed several substantial wooden longhouses — some measuring up to 19 meters long and 6 meters wide — dating to the Anglo-Saxon period between the 5th and 11th centuries.
Identified through post-hole patterns, the longhouses likely served as both homes and social gathering spaces, complete with central hearths for cooking and heating. Although the settlement did not survive past the 1300s, archaeologists noted that a modern footpath aligns with the ancient buildings, suggesting that the route has been in continuous use since at least early medieval times.
The excavation, led by MOLA–Wessex Archaeology, is part of a large-scale archaeological program involving around 90 specialists. Researchers now aim to determine when the settlement was first occupied and what led to its eventual abandonment.
The broader project has produced additional discoveries across East Anglia’s landscape, including Stone Age tools, a flint arrowhead dating 4,000–6,000 years old, and remnants of medieval kilns likely used for pottery or lime production near Sizewell. Pottery linked to the early Bronze Age “Beaker people” also indicates long-distance contacts and trade between local communities and groups on the European continent over 3,000 years ago.
Archaeologists say these findings shed new light on the long human history of East Anglia and will help enrich the region’s cultural narrative as investigations continue.

Published on: 10-12-2025

Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie

Source: BBC