The Archaeology of Sutton Park

Sutton Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe. It was always set apart as ‘special’ and remains so, as a large and well-used public park. Its creation as a deer park in the twelfth century preserved the past and created the present. Detailed study of extensive earthworks, combined with excavation, documentary research, paleo-environmental evidence and the results of LiDAR survey, shows how the landscape was shaped and managed by people living in and around it, travelling through it, or hunting in it, and demonstrates how its present vegetation patterns result from past uses. In addition to the boundary, subdivisions, and fishponds of the medieval deer park, its archaeological features include prehistoric burnt mounds and a Roman road, and prominent remains of later uses including woodland management, water-powered industries, military training, sport, and recreation. In addition, this book discusses management of the park to protect its landscape for the future, and an appendix highlights particular features to visit.

Dr. Michael Hodder has been researching the archaeology of Sutton Park for thirty-five years. He has been Birmingham City Council’s Planning Archaeologist since 1994 and is involved in the management and public interpretation of Sutton Park in conjunction with English Heritage and Natural England. He gives frequent talks about the archaeology of the Park and leads guided walks. He is a member of the Institute for Archaeologists and the author of Birmingham: The Hidden History (THP 2004).