Funding secured for excavation to unlock secrets of Bronze Age Flag Fen Site

The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Historic England, alongside Farming Minister Stephen Morgan, have announced £700,000 in grant funding for a major new archaeological excavation at Flag Fen Archaeology Park near Peterborough

The project aims to recover, record, and preserve fragile organic evidence from a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age timber causeway and platform before environmental degradation causes permanent loss.

Environmental threat and urgent intervention

Flag Fen represents one of the world’s few surviving Bronze Age wooden platform structures. However, the site has remained on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register since 2012 due to severe environmental threats:

• Desiccation of organic artefacts:

  • Dropping groundwater levels and the drying out of surrounding peat soils expose ancient worked wood and organic remains to rapid decomposition.

• Risk threshold:

  • Site managers estimate that roughly 40% of Flag Fen’s remaining buried archaeology is at risk of catastrophic loss within months if not immediately recorded and excavated.

• Excavation focus:

  • The newly funded rescue excavation will target the site’s western post alignment to recover missing evidence regarding why prehistoric settlers constructed the monumental wooden causeway during a period of rising marshlands and shifting regional climate.

Funding structure and community aspirations

The £700,000 grant is provided through the Countryside Stewardship Heritage Service, a joint partnership between DEFRA and Historic England.

Beyond physical preservation, the long-term initiative encompasses several strategic goals:

Community skills and training

The excavation will offer structured volunteering opportunities for local residents, university students, and young carers, providing progressive archaeological training aimed at developing future site supervisors and tour leaders.

Heritage at risk removal

The project serves as a key milestone toward removing Flag Fen from the Heritage at Risk Register.

Regional tourism and economy

Upgrading the park’s visitor experience and interpretation infrastructure supports wider economic development and cultural tourism across Peterborough.

Andrew Pakes, MP for Peterborough, said:

“Flag Fen is one of Peterborough’s greatest treasures, and a site of global historical significance. As the local MP, I’ve been proud to champion it in Parliament, because this site deserves the proper recognition and support it needs to fully explore our Bronze Age heritage, so I’m delighted that Defra is now backing this next excavation.

This funding couldn’t come at a more critical time, as changes in the environment are speeding up decomposition, meaning it’s crucial that archaeologists have the chance to record and preserve irreplaceable evidence before it’s lost for good. This is brilliant news for Peterborough, for our shared history, and for the next generation who will get to learn from what’s uncovered.”