Pupils at Weston under Penyard CE Primary School were fascinated to meet an archaeologist and discover out more about the Roman finds he has uncovered in their village.

Archaeologist Thomas Wellicome told the children that the area of Weston was called Ariconium by the Romans and is well known as part of a Roman settlement. The dig uncovered Roman artefacts linked to the iron industry from over 2,000 years ago

Thomas took in some of his findings to show the pupils, including a quern stone, which was used to grind cereals. He gave a demonstration of the process undertaken to uncover historical artefacts and gave an overview of the Roman history in Weston under Penyard

Having recently studied the Romans the children were really engaged and both teachers and pupils thoroughly enjoyed the interactive and informative session.

Emma Shotten, of Freeman Homes, who are building 35 homes in Weston under Penyard, told the youngsters that they had to carry out an archaeological evaluation as part of the planning process. She also told the pupils, who are in Years 5 and 6, that they could be involved in choosing a new name for the development. The winner and chosen development name will be announced in early 2017.

Freeman Homes have recently won the Best Residential Development Award at the 2016 UK Property Awards for their homes at The Close in Llangrove, an award recognised as a mark of world renowned excellence in the industry.

Their site at Weston has been granted outline planning permission to develop 35 new homes. A mix of two, three, four and five bedroom homes will be built.