In 2010, Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd led a team of local volunteers to undertake a geophysical survey of the Broomlands field, which was later expanded to cover other land in the Derwent Valley. This survey revealed a wealth of archaeological activity on the flood plain and led to the 2010 Broomlands excavations. Both the survey and excavations in 2010 were funded by the Bassenthwaite Reflections Heritage Lottery Landscape Partnership Scheme. All fieldwork was completed by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, with training and supervision from North Pennines Archaeology and Grampus Heritage. The Broomlands excavations proved that the civillian settlement (vicus) associated with the fort of Derventio at papcastle was much larger than previously thought and that Roman occupation on the floodplain spanned a period from the 1st to 4th Centuries. The highlight of these excavations was the discovery of a Roman watermill with surviving waterlogged timbers lining the mill race.

Following completion of the Bassenthwaite Reflections project at the end of 2010, Grampus Heritage submitted a proposal to the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop and deliver a three-year community archaeology project, specifically to research the extent of Roman Papcastle and to look at the relationship between the settlement and the river. The Discovering Derventio project was approved in July 2013 and ran until the end of 2015.

Aims of the project and Photo Gallery

The Discovering Derventio project will run for three and a half years from July 2012 to the end of 2015. The strategic project aims are:

To engage the local community of the Papcastle and Cockermouth area in archaeological survey and excavation around the Roman site of Derventio and along the Derwent valley.
To cater for all ages and elements of the community and foster a spirit of shared discovery throughout the project.
To increase understanding of the nature and extent of the Roman settlement in and around the Derwent valley extending from the Roman fort of Derventio at Papcastle.
Look for evidence of river crossing point, bath house, extent of civilian occupation, cemetery and road network. Achieved through geophysical survey (proven to be an appropriate technique in 2010) and targeted community excavation.
To investigate the history of human occupation and activity along the banks of the river Derwent near Cockermouth and to increase our knowledge of how people have used the flood plain in the past 2000 years.
To display the project results and a selection of artefacts in the town of Cockermouth.
Contribute to the archaeological knowledge by linking to the North West Research Framework, which indicates a need for further research into the development of civilian settlements (vici) associated with Roman forts.
To build upon the legacy of the Bassenthwaite Reflections Unlocking Hidden Heritage project and the enthusiasm of the community, landowners and authorities during the project development phase.
Build upon the opportunity presented by the initial post-flood archaeological discoveries to engage all ages and elements of the community in archaeological research.