Excavations on the site of the International Bomber Command Centre memorial, at Canwick, near Lincoln, provided an insight into Roman life beyond the city walls.

Geophysical survey, trial trench evaluation and the site’s prime location on the top of the ridge forming the southern side of the Witham valley all indicated that Roman activity was expected; it was thought that this might be the site of a limestone quarry or a small farm on the outskirts of Lindum, associated with a villa on the site now occupied by All Saints Church.

The excavation focussed on the site of the proposed visitor centre. The earliest activity was the construction of two corn driers, then during the third century, the agricultural activity gave way to a cemetery. Twelve individuals were found buried in a row towards one edge of the site: two individuals were found head to toe within the same grave; one large male lay face down (prone) and had been buried with a small iron knife; and two individuals had been buried on top of each other within the same grave, the one lower of the two having been decapitated.

Two pottery kilns produced large quantities of greyware wasters, the pottery recovered displaying a wide range of forms.

Evaluation trenching also exposed a number of large quarry pits, likely to have been dug to provide the materials with which to build the Roman city.