Roman relics and Peaky Blinders burial ground among fascinating archaelogical finds along HS2 route

HS2 is not just Britain's biggest rail project of recent times, it's also the nation's biggest ever archaeological project. 130 million tonnes of earth have so far been dug up to make way for the new rail line, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 15 times over.

The massive project has provided a rare opportunity for archaeologists to explore land that has remained largely untouched for centuries. Among the amazing, and sometimes gruesome, discoveries made by archaeologists in Birmingham are human skeletons, Roman relics and the tombs of some of Birmingham's most nototious gangsters.

From Peaky Blinders burial grounds to medieval manors, HS2 has enabled us Brummies to learn about our shared history and the lives of the people who built our city. Here are some of the most interesting archaeological finds along the HS2 route in Birmingham.

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Peaky Blinders burial grounds

HS2 digs allowed historians to uncover evidence to support tales of the real Peaky Blinders gangs fighting it out in Park Street cemetery. Park Street burial ground was opened in 1810 as an overflow cemetery for St Martin-in-the-Bullring and remained open for only 63 years, closing to public burials in 1873.

During excavations, diggers discovered over 6,500 skeletons in one of the biggest finds in recent history. The find also shed light on the activities of Birmingham’s backstreet 'slogger gangs', who are said to have inspired the writers of the BBC hit show Peaky Blinders.

Birmingham historian Dr Carl Chin described how local gangs would meet on the Park Street burial ground for 'slogging' - which meant fighting and striking with a heavy blow. But archaeologists excavating the burial ground were left puzzled after finding some unusual objects amongst the skeletons being uncovered.

There was significant evidence of anatomical tampering amongst the skeletons across the site which is thought to be linked to the nearby teaching hospital, Birmingham General, on Steelhouse Lane.

The world's oldest railway roundhouse

Buried deep beneath the earth lies the history of the Old Curzon Street Station, lies a little-known and rather mysterious 'roundhouse' - so impressive it can be seen from space. It is believed to be the world's oldest railway roundhouse, used for servicing and storing locomotives.

It is thought to have been in operation since 12 November 1837 and was used to turn locomotives so they could return down the line. At the other end of the line, the equivalent roundhouse in London has now been transformed into a famous music venue of the same name.

Roman relics in Solihull

Roman brooches dating from the 1st century AD were among the finds at a HS2 archaeological dig near Solihull in 2020. Alongside roman artefacts, archaelogists also found a distinctive artefact with a serpent design, and even the remains of ancient rubbish.

The excavations, near Coleshill, also uncovered evidence of a medieval moated manor house - dubbed "Warwickshire's answer to Hampton Court". The house was owned by Sir Robert Digby, and experts now believe that after marrying an Irish heiress, he built his home in the modern style, along with huge formal gardens measuring 300 metres from end to end. You can see what the manor might have looked like here.

Three lionesses on a badge

This pendant, discovered in 2022, features the iconic three lions associated with the England football team. It was found in Wormleighton in Warwickshire on a site that would have been an Iron Age or Romano British settlement.

Associated with the arms of England, this form of heraldry was in use by the Crown between 1189-1340. It is likely that the pendant would have decorated a horse harness. HS2 released news of the find on the eve of England’s Lionesses historic win over Germany in the 2022 Euros final.