Archaeological works taking place on West Ruislip Golf Course where HS2 is preparing its tunnel boring machines have revealed over 45,000 years of history, and there’s now a walking trail to show off what’s been found and where.
Evidence of human activity in Hillingdon has been uncovered from the last Ice Age (when the climate was cooling ahead of the last glaciation) to 800-year-old medieval kilns and agriculture – which made use of the natural resources in Ruislip and its surrounding area.
All sorts of objects have been found when excavating the site, including items which were lost, such as worked stone tools – which can be hundreds of thousands of years old – jewellery and coins. Other items unearthed were sometimes deliberately buried, such as the Hillingdon Hoard, which is 2,000 years old.
A lot of objects found are simply items that people have thrown away, from 6,000-year-old broken pottery to food wrappers from the 1970s.
Although closed as a golf course at the moment, the public footpaths around the site are being kept open during construction, ensuring the public can continue to enjoy the green space.
Meanwhile, HS2 contractors – Skanska, Costain and STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV) – have created a map that helps people discover the archaeology that’s been uncovered.
The map can be downloaded here, and there’s a QR code on the map to watch a video about the excavations.
If venturing over to Ruislip, the Coach and Horses pub can a good place to stop off at on the way home if you don’t mind a small detour via Ickenham for the return journey.