Medieval kitchen discovered during Oriel renovations

A once-in-a-century excavation of Oriel College has led to the discovery of the remains of a medieval kitchen and part of the cityโ€™s Saxon-era walls. The discovery, made by Oxford Archaeology, has shed light on Oriel and Oxfordโ€™s historical development, of which little was previously documented. 

The excavations were made possible by renovations to the college that took place in preparation for its 700-year anniversary, which included rebuilding the kitchen and refurbishing the bar. Oxford Archaeology discovered what they believe to have been part of the cityโ€™s south eastern corner, before Oxford extended eastwards. The walls separated St Martinโ€™s Hall, one of Orielโ€™s old medieval halls, and land Oriel owned to the north. 

A roasting hearth and oven base were also discovered: medieval structures like the kitchen had been replaced in the 1640s, when the present Front Quad was constructed. 

Further excavations of Oriel could uncover even more about Oxfordโ€™s history and will contribute to the debate that started in the 1950s, around whether the excavation site may contain the remains of a smaller defended town

Oxford Archaeologyโ€™s senior project manager, Ben Ford, described Orielโ€™s location as โ€œarchaeologically rich.โ€ Ford also commented that unearthing the medieval kitchen allowed archaeologists to confirm assumptions about the size of Orielโ€™s original perimeter, which were made based on maps, views and surviving historical documents

Previous renovations on the Oriel site in October 2024 unearthed a ditch that revealed late-Saxon Oxford’s eastern defensive line. It dates from when Oxford was one post in a wider defensive network on the boundary of the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. Its position in relation to a section of wall believed to be the late-Saxon north-eastern corner of the town meant that archaeologists were able to verify a theory that the late-Saxon perimeter of the town was square, and thus based on the Roman model.

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