Digging into the Past: Bedford Modern School students join groundbreaking Roman Villa Project 07 October 2025

In a remarkable fusion of history, education and community engagement, Year 13 Classical Civilisation students from Bedford Modern School recently had the extraordinary opportunity to visit and participate in the Bedford Roman Villa Project, a community-led archaeological excavation just next door to the school on Manton Lane.

The site, which has been nominated for Current Archaeology’s Rescue Project of the Year, has recently revealed a significant Roman villa complex with evidence of an earlier Iron Age settlement. Among the discoveries are painted plasterwork, coins, jewellery, and a large courtyard – all pointing to a long and uninterrupted period of occupation from the Iron Age through the Roman period. This is especially notable given that Bedford was not a Roman town and no other Roman villas have previously been found in the area.

A Living Connection to the Past

The visit was made even more special by the presence of Old Bedford Modernian (OBM) Dr Ollie Croker, now a curator at the British Museum, who has been involved in excavations at the site for over a decade. Dr Croker first encountered the Manton Lane site as a student at Bedford Modern School, where his interest in classical archaeology was sparked. Supported by the school, he joined the Bedford Museum Saturday Archaeology Workshops and later wrote his undergraduate dissertation at the University of Oxford on the site.

Dr Croker welcomed the students to the excavation, offering a guided tour of the site and sharing insights into its historical significance. He also spoke candidly about his own journey from BMS student to professional archaeologist, offering valuable advice on university applications and careers in Classics and Archaeology.

Image: A young Ollie Croker with the animal bones he found at the site after the main excavations were completed in 2012.

We had the opportunity to speak with Dr Ollie Croker to learn more about the site’s significance and how his journey from student to archaeologist began right here at Bedford Modern School.

Interview with Dr Ollie Croker

“It’s not every day you discover a Roman villa buried beneath your school – and yet, that’s exactly what happened at Manton Lane. As someone who attended Edith Cavell as a tiny child and later Bedford Modern School, this site has been part of my life for most of my life.

My journey with archaeology began in Bedford. In 2006, I joined the Young Archaeologist Club run by Albion Archaeology and the Higgins Museum. Then in 2012, a pipe trench dug on the eastern field of BMS revealed the first wall line of what would become one of Bedford’s most significant archaeological sites. I volunteered on the annual excavations that followed, and it was where I first learned the fundamentals of archaeology.

The Manton Lane villa is exceptional. It’s the only stone-built Roman villa discovered in Bedford to date, and its opulence is striking – painted wall plaster, hand-moulded stucco, and even underfloor heating (hypocaust as the Romans called it!). In terms of Roman archaeology, it’s undoubtedly one of the most significant sites in the area.

During my time at BMS, I was lucky enough to dig test pits across the front of the estate with a merry band of fellow enthusiasts, under the generous guidance of Albion Archaeology. That experience not only deepened my skills but helped me secure a place at Oxford to study Classical Archaeology. Though I now specialise in Greek pottery, my enthusiasm for Manton Lane has never waned.

Returning to the site these past two weeks, stepping away from the stores of the British Museum to dig once again at Manton Lane, has been a joy. It’s a reminder of where it all began! It was a pleasure to welcome a group of Classical Civilisation students from BMS to the site, and an even greater pleasure to hear so many of them are applying for Archaeology at university!

To any BMS student considering a career in archaeology or heritage: go for it. It’s true, you won’t make a fortune – but the rewards are immeasurable. In my current role as Project Curator at the British Museum, I help care for our collections of Greek pottery and Classical engraved intaglios. It’s a privilege to research these objects and contribute to our understanding of them for generations to come.”

Dr Ollie Croker, OBM

Hands-On Learning in the Field

The students didn’t just observe – they got stuck in. Under the guidance of the Bedford Roman Villa Project team, they learned how to mattock and dig soil, search for artefacts, and clean finds. This hands-on experience brought their classroom studies to life, allowing them to engage directly with the material culture of Roman Britain.

One of the highlights of the site is the unique painted plasterwork featuring raised decorative leaves – a feature found in only one other location in the UK, making this an internationally significant discovery. The excavation has also uncovered a large courtyard with stone metalling, several Roman coins (including a 22% increase in coin finds on a single day of the 2025 dig), and rare chalk formations and trackways.

BMS students searching through soil for finds such as flint, pieces of roof tile and pottery sherds.