University eyes up Silchester's Roman heritage

THE University of Reading has made a bid for Silchester’s Roman site.

The site has been excavated by the university’s archaeology department for almost two decades.

The move was briefly revealed by Steve Spillane, chairman of Silchester Parish Council, at the council’s recent annual meeting, where he revealed that site owner Hampshire County Council’s plans to turn ownership of the Calleva Atrebatum site in the village over to a trust had been put on hold.

This was because a new approach to purchasing the site had been made by the University of Reading, whose archaeology department had carried out digs at the site for the last 18 years, overseen by Prof Michael Fulford.

The work ended last year.

The university’s move was discussed in greater detail at the parish council’s June 1 meeting, where it was further revealed that the University of Reading had expressed an interest in either buying the Roman site in the village, or taking it over on a long lease from the county council.

Mr Spillane said: “We have to consider that the University of Reading had a very substantial archaeological interest in the site over the last 18 years.”

He pointed out the huge educational interest in the site and added that there was no reason to worry about the move.

The site had proved a financial ‘white elephant’ for the county council, which apart from leasing part of the land for farming, could not realise any profit from the site.

Mr Spillane added the parish council would be averse to any commercial enterprise at the site which would turn it into a ‘Disneyland’.

The parish council voted in favour of the approach by the University of Reading to either buy, or lease the Roman site from Hampshire County Council.