From Saturday 16 July residents will have the opportunity to see the incredibly rare Roman stone heads uncovered during HS2’s archaeological excavation of St Mary’s Church in Stoke Mandeville.
Two of the heads, from the three busts found, will go on display in the Discover Bucks Galleries and will remain on loan to the museum until the end of October 2022.
They were discovered in the final stages of investigations by archaeologists from L-P Archaeology, working for HS2 in October last year.
Archaeologists were excavating a circular ditch around what is now thought to be the foundations of a Roman mausoleum when the three busts were revealed – one depicting a female adult, one a male adult and an additional head of a child. The two complete busts, the adult male and female, had been disfigured, with the heads removed from the torso before they were thrown into the ditch.
After removing the remains of the Norman church, which had been demolished in 1966, they found evidence of earlier use, which they now believe to have been a Roman mausoleum.
Since being uncovered the Roman busts have undergone cleaning and initial conservation.
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Helen Wass, Head of Heritage at HS2 Ltd said:
“The enormous archaeology programme at HS2 has enabled us to expand our knowledge of the rich history of Britain through each archaeological dig. The site of the old St Mary’s Church in Stoke Mandeville has offered numerous fascinating details which expands our understanding of the site. These incredible stone busts are some of the standout objects revealed during our investigation programme. It is great to be able to start sharing these with the local community working with the Discover Bucks Museum to put them on display.”
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