Vanguard West, East & Boreas Offshore Wind Farms Archaeological Works

The onshore cable route for the Vanguard and Boreas projects extends for approximately 60km across Norfolk. Investigating this route as a continuous corridor provided an opportunity to understand how the landscape has been used over time, from early prehistory through the Roman and medieval periods.

The work has added to existing archaeological knowledge of the area and, in some cases, revealed previously unknown sites.

A staged programme of archaeological work was undertaken, with methods selected based on landscape type and the results of earlier investigations. This included desk-based research, non-intrusive geophysical survey, trial trenching and targeted excavation, supported where appropriate by techniques such as fieldwalking, metal detecting and ground penetrating radar.

Together, these approaches ensured that archaeological remains were properly identified, investigated and recorded ahead of construction.

One of the most significant discoveries made during archaeological investigations for the Vanguard and Boreas projects was the identification of a Roman Villa Estate, including remains of both a villa and bath house.

The presence of the villa was not identified during the early stages of assessment. Its significance became clear through later fieldwork, using geophysical survey techniques, which revealed a multi-phase complex indicating a long lived and evolving estate.

Artefacts and environmental evidence recovered from the site are helping to date activity and build a picture of daily life, agriculture and land use during the Roman period. The scale and character of the remains indicate a site of regional importance and make a substantial contribution to understanding Roman settlement in Norfolk.

Archaeological investigations also identified evidence of early prehistoric activity, including Neolithic and Bronze Age features, as well as widespread medieval settlement dating from the Late Saxon period through to the later Middle Ages.

Some remains may relate to settlements recorded in historic sources such as the Domesday Book, helping link archaeological evidence with documentary records. To read more about the range of findings, please see the information pack linked below.

Alongside the archaeological investigations carried out as part of onshore construction preparation, a Roman Villa augmented reality app has been developed to help bring one of the project’s most significant discoveries to life.

The app has been designed primarily for schools, with content tailored to Key Stage 2. It allows users to explore a digital reconstruction of the Roman Villa Estate identified along the onshore cable route. Using augmented reality, it draws on archaeological evidence and interpretation developed by Headland Archaeology, showing how the site may have looked and how people lived and worked there during the Roman period.