The creation of the new town of Sherford has afforded a rare opportunity to investigate the archaeological landscape. Archaeological work has taken place since work started at Sherford in 2015 and the Consortium has remained committed to funding an ongoing programme of archaeological investigation ever since.
In 2018, archaeological work at Sherford found evidence of settlements as early as the late Stone Age, 3,700 – 3,800 BC.
Barrows, roundhouses, a large amount of Neolithic pottery and Bronze Age tools were also found at the site, shedding light on how early Devon communities lived.
In 2021, the well-preserved remains of several species of animals were found, including woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, wolf, hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox. These ‘megafauna’ are estimated to be from the last Ice Age, around 30,000-60,000 years old.
The findings drew attention from media and the archaeological community around the world, seeing Sherford make international headlines. It is hoped that the full archive of remains will return to Devon following their full analysis, into the care of The Box – Plymouth’s new museum and archive, just a few miles from where they were uncovered.
