The Archaeology of Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station, Somerset. Excavations in 2012-16

Archaeological fieldwork was undertaken between 2010 and 2016 ahead of the construction of the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, Somerset, by EDF Energy. The investigations covered an area of nearly 1.5 square kilometres, making it one of the largest archaeological sites nationally.

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Early Neolithic occupation (from about 3600 BC) was represented by small groups of pits which were partly contemporary with a well-known round barrow – a protected monument called Wick Barrow or Pixies’ Mound – lying just outside the development site. Later prehistoric remains included Bronze Age burnt mounds, boundary ditches, a Late Bronze Age enclosure, and an Early Iron Age midden. There was more widespread Late Iron Age and Roman settlement, including a seasonally occupied linear settlement with evidence of salt-making. Contemporary activity included a nearby late Roman settlement. On another site a sequence of occupation from the late Iron Age to modern eras was examined. Here historical documents add to the account of the site and preserved the names of some of the farm’s recent inhabitants.