Archaeologists investigate medieval moat site beside Broadmead Farm

Archaeologists are still busy at the far end of the Core Zone, next to Broadmead Farm, investigating the spot where a medieval moat once stood.

It might not look like much today, but Bedford’s Historic Environment Record describes a rectangular moat with possible associated ponds, since ploughed out.

During a visit around 1977, the moat’s ditch was recorded as roughly five metres wide, holding water in winter but rarely filling in summer. Nearby pottery included pieces dating from the 11th and 12th centuries.

By around 1990, the whole area had been ploughed. The tenant described a rectangular patch where nothing would grow and reported turning up lots of horseshoes.

Those are historical observations, rather than new finds from the current work, but they give a fascinating glimpse of what was here long before Universal.

I’ll be keeping an eye on this corner of the site — hopefully we’ll get to hear more about what the investigations reveal!

Did you know there used to be a moat here?