The Irchester Field School

The Irchester Field School is a collaborative community research project that is central to an innovative and wide-ranging partnership between the University of Leicester and North Northants Council, based at the Chester House Estate. It encompasses research, learning, community engagement, wellbeing and enterprise. The University of Leicester Heritage Hub coordinates the University of Leicester team and activities.

The Chester House Estate is a unique free to enter heritage site. There is evidence for 10,000 years of human activity in the landscape, from flint scatters dating the Mesolithic (c. 10,000 to 4,000 BC) to a complex of traditional farm buildings dating back to the 17th century. Within the Estate lies one of the best preserved walled Roman small towns in Britain, known as Irchester. At present, much of this heritage is buried; the challenge is to bring it to life and tell its stories.

The Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) is a state-of-the-art facility located within the Chester House Estate, which is the archaeological archive repository for the whole of Northants. This stretch of the Nene Valley in Northamptonshire is one of the richest parts of the country for archaeological investigation and archives.

The Excavations

The Irchester Field School is a long-term collaborative project that supports local community and school involvement in archaeological research. The collaboration is enhancing our understanding of this archaeologically rich landscape, and is helping to make archaeological research and archives accessible.

Excavations in the suburbs of the town, known as Irchester, are revealing houses, workshops and cemeteries, allowing us to better understand the lives of the town’s inhabitants. The area of the suburbs extends to the west, east and south of the walled area and contains multiple buildings as well as cemeteries. The excavations have uncovered part of a late Roman cemetery, densely packed with cist burials; more than 100 have been excavated over the past few years. The human skeletal remains are being studied by volunteers, students and specialists at the University of Leicester using a wide range of cutting-edge scientific techniques which are providing insights into the lives of the townsfolk, including information about diet, disease and lifestyle.

The Irchester Field School was shortlisted in two categories for the Council for British Archaeology Archaeological Achievement Awards 2023 (Learning and Skills, Engagement and Participation).

Who is involved?

Co-directors: Professor Sarah Scott, Dr Jeremy Taylor, Ben Donnelly-Symes (Northants Archaeological Archives Curator), Jack Pishhorn (North Northants Council, Culture, Heritage & Tourism).

Many other team members are involved, including University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), staff and students from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and the Learning and Engagement Team at the Chester House Estate.

Student Opportunities 

The excavation provides fieldwork training opportunities for our undergraduate students, many of whom are studying by distance learning. We also offer a limited number of places to University of Leicester students/alumni who are not taking a fieldwork module but would like to join us to gain experience on a ‘pay what you can basis’. Wider opportunities include student placements, internships and PhD research and training.