09/06/2026
A wonderful post on West Stow from Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History
Suffolk's Story 12: Early Saxon Settlement at West Stow
Excavations from 1965 to 1972 revealed one of the earliest settlements of the English people in West Stow. The excavations, overseen by Vera Evison and later Stanley West, revealed extensive evidence of occupation, including buildings, pits and large deposits of animal bone from domestic consumption, ranged along the north bank of the River Lark. The site was occupied from the mid-fifth to seventh century.
Settlement on the site consisted of a number of buildings, the largest of which were built with earthfast posts, interpreted as ‘halls’ for both living and sleeping. While only 8 halls were identified, approximately 70 smaller ‘sunken-featured buildings’, structures constructed over a shallow pit, were excavated - these buildings may have been used for ancillary domestic accommodation or working spaces.
A wide range of contemporary artefacts were uncovered during the excavations including dress accessories such as brooches and pins, domestic artefacts such as iron knives, and evidence of textile production including a number of spindle whorls and needles. A vast assemblage of animal bone was also recovered, comprised of both domesticated species such as cattle, sheep and pigs as well as wild species including red deer, heron and crane.
Experimental recreations of the buildings began in 1973 and remain on the site to this day.
