Stone age relics found in Wickford (From Echo)

Stone age relics found in Wickford

3:56pm Monday 10th November 2008 in Local News

ANCIENT relics dating from the Stone Age and up to 9,000 years old have been discovered in Wickford.

The stone fragments and what is believed to be the remnants of a prehistoric camp were found in a field off Old Nevendon Road.

The find, described as historically significant, was made on land due to be turned into flood plains and a wildlife habitat. The site is intended to replace land in Courtauld Road, Basildon, which would be lost if a planned waste plant is built there.

Archaelogists unearthed the valuable finds which are believed to date back to the Mesolithic Age or Middle Stone Age from 8500BC to 4000BC. A report from Essex County Council, which owns the land, said it was rare to find Mesolithic artefacts.

Michael Page, Essex County Council spokesman, said: “In support of its applications for a waste management facility at Courtauld Road, we were required to carry out an archaeological investigation into the cultural heritage of the site.

“Initial investigations have found remnants of Mesolithic activity in an area of proposed washland north of the A127. An excavation of the deposits is now taking place.”

Mr Page said the find is not expected to halt controversial plans to build a mechanical biological treatment and recycling plant at Courtauld Road, which is south of the A127.

He added: “They will relocate any artefacts that need to be removed, and it is not expected to affect the development. The proposed development will not have any adverse affects on the built heritage or historic landscape.”

The prehistoric men and women who lived at the site would have been nomadic hunter gatherers. They made tools from flint, bone and wood which they used to hunt deer, fowl and bear.

Archaeologists carrying out the dig at the site, which is gated and closed to the public, work for private Oxford-based firm, John Moore Heritage Services.

Once the excavation is finished, the artefacts will be displayed at the Southend Central Museum.