News on HS2 in Bucks & Oxfordshire

Archaeologists excavating the remains of the medieval church of St Mary in Stoke Mandeville have already discovered unusual stone carvings, medieval graffiti and other markings, possibly connected to warding off evil spirits.

Two stones with a central drilled hole from which a series of lines radiate in a circle have been uncovered at the site. Historians consider these to be ‘witches’ marks, created to ward off evil spirits by trapping them in an endless line or maze. There are several well-known examples of these around Britain, in churches, houses and even furniture.

However, they can also be interpreted as early sun dials, used by the church to divide up the day into morning prayer, midday prayer and evening prayer, with these ‘scratch dials’ usually found close to the southern door of the church. At St Mary’s, an example was found low down in the west buttress close to ground level, leading archaeologists to question its purpose as its position suggests it wouldn’t have been used as a sun dial. It could have been there to ward off evil spirits, or been a stone from a sun dial re-used as part of the church building.

Archaeologists from Fusion JV, working on our behalf, have been given the rare opportunity to excavate and carefully deconstruct the remains of the medieval church – something not done in Britain since the 1970s. The old church was built to serve the manor house and located some way from the village centre and was replaced in 1866 by a new church closer to the village. Though it was known that the building had been demolished, the method and extent of demolition had not been recorded and archaeologists were surprised to discover that beneath the rubble the church survived to a height of almost 5ft with floors intact.

Detailed research into the structure has allowed the team to piece together a history of the development of St Mary’s. The church started off as a chapel built in about 1070, shortly after the Norman Conquest and may have been at first the private chapel belonging to the lord of the manor at that time. It was soon extended, and an aisle added in the 1340s, with these new additions seeming to mark a transition from a chapel used for private prayer to a church used by the local villagers.

Work to dismantle and excavate the church will continue into next year and archaeologists are looking forward to answering many more questions concerning the church and its architecture, including discovering whether there may be a Saxon church lying beneath its floor.

We are taking part in this year’s Council of British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology and hosting three webinars, aimed at 16-25 year olds, focused on inspiring the next generation of archaeologists in Britain. From October 24 to November 1, the event will offer hundreds of opportunities for people to get involved.

Ourselves and our contractors leading on the project's unprecedented programme of archaeology will share experiences and findings, with events highlighting some of the exciting discoveries of Britain’s past which have already been found during the works, including those at Stoke Mandeville .

Please view more information about our free online events and how to register .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .