Overview
- More than 800 whetstones were recovered — the largest Roman-era assemblage reported in north‑west Europe — along with 11 stone anchors on opposing banks near Sunderland.
- Durham University’s analysis confirms the production layer is Roman, making Offerton the first known British site quarried specifically for whetstone manufacture.
- Researchers interpret the matching sandstone source and volume of finds as evidence of large‑scale production connected to wider Roman distribution networks, including military demand.
- Multi‑period discoveries such as jetty structures, a Tudor leather shoe, Civil War ammunition, coins and pottery extend the known activity on this stretch of the River Wear by roughly 1,800 years.
- The community‑led Vedra Hylton project worked with Durham University and The Crown Estate, with further survey planned and a feature airing on BBC Two’s Digging for Britain from January 7.