Bicester Heritage Hotel Bicester Oxfordshire

Between 14th and 18th May 2018 Oxford Archaeology carried out an
evaluation on behalf of Bicester Heritage on the site of a proposed hotel
development. Twelve trenches were excavated within Bicester
Aerodrome, Oxfordshire .The site was first developed in the later stages of WW1 as a Royal Flying Corps(RFC) Training Depot Station. In 1918 facilities within
the site boundary comprised a row of three hangars and associated
workshops, stores and taxiways. The site was demolished in 1920 and
returned to agriculture. From 1925 the site was redeveloped as
part of the RAF Bicester bomber station.
The evaluation revealed one significant archaeological feature pre-dating
construction of the WW1 airfield – a Roman ditch in Trench 3, which lay
parallel to the Roman Road it is likely to be a field boundary. There was
no sign of a continuation of the ditch in trenches to the north or south.

Traces of buildings relating to the RFC Training Depot Station were identified
in eleven trenches, mostly comprising drains, electrical services and
occasional concrete strip foundations. The WW1 features appear to be poorly
preserved and some of the utilities could relate to the later RAF station.