A Roman settlement in Gloucestershire has been included on the Schedule of Ancient Monuments in recognition of its national importance as a heritage asset.

The settlement in Wickwar has been known since the 1970s. However its full nature and importance was not known until recently, thanks to work funded by South Gloucestershire Council and English Heritage.

Councillor Pat Hockey, executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “I am very pleased that the national importance of this site has been recognised.

"With this site and the Roman villas at Hawkesbury, Badminton and Horton South Gloucestershire it is clear that South Gloucestershire was as successful in Roman times as it is today."

Scheduling the settlement, which is believed to date from around the 2nd to 4th century AD, refers to the legal system for protecting nationally important archaeological sites in England.

Once a site is Scheduled, consent must be obtained from the Secretary of State for any works that affect it. Scheduling is carefully restricted to the most important sites of each type of monument and to those for which this designation provides the most appropriate protection.

The Wickwar settlement has been identified through extensive geophysical survey and a number of small trail excavations.

The survey results show that the central area of the town comprises a considerable number of stone buildings fronting the road, likely to be of both domestic and commercial function. There is also evidence of a number of small enclosures and also of industrial activity.

Numerous contemporary small finds have been reported from this area including metal objects, pottery and dressed stone.

There is also the presence of a curved feature in the north eastern part of the site which may represent a corner of the defensive ditch of a Roman fort.

It is of the characteristic ‘playing card’ shape associated with such features and it is certainly common for a town to be founded on the site of an earlier fort.