Windmill Farm, Coton Lane, Tamworth

Evaluation phase
Oxford Archaeology (OA) was commissioned by CgMs Consulting to undertake a trial trench evaluation at the site of Windmill Hill Farm, Coton Lane, Tamworth. Eleven trenches were opened. Five contained one or two linear
ditches that were either undated, or post-medieval/modern. The southernmost trench contained a ditch and pit containing middle Roman pottery, and a further undated ditch. It is likely that the undated ditches on the site either date to the Roman or post-medieval/modern period. The evaluation suggests a dearth of archaeological features over the majority of the site; however, further Roman features are likely to be present in the southwestern area. Very few finds or features dating to the Roman period are
known in the vicinity of the site, although, the ditches and pit might be related to a cropmark complex known further to the west.

Excavation phase
Excavation by Oxford Archaeology at the north-western edge of Tamworth revealed a substantial part of a Romano-British farmstead composed of a complex of rectilinear enclosures that was occupied during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Two phases were identified, the settlement having been extended and additional enclosures added to the north and east around the middle of the 2nd century. The latter phase included construction of a post-built aisled building, and two discrete dumps of burnt crop-processing debris attested to the crops that the population cultivated. A notable find was a samian Drag. 37 bowl decorated with a erotic scene.