An early Roman lime kiln and later Roman agricultural processing at Maylands Gateway, Hemel Hempstead

Excavations at Maylands Gateway, Hemel Hempstead, have provided the opportunity to revisit and re-evaluate the site of the scheduled religious complex at Wood Lane End, Hertfordshire. The discovery of an early Roman lime kiln provides new evidence for the construction of the temple and its associated buildings. Following the abandonment of the temple, probably at the end of the 2nd century AD, several later Roman corndryers were installed to the south, including one of considerable size and complexity. Substantial quantities of charred cereal remains and associated debris from the corndryers indicate that arable processing was being undertaken at a comparatively ‘industrial’ level, perhaps operating as part of a larger estate centred elsewhere. A re-interpretation of the late Roman evidence at Wood Lane End is also presented here.