Archaeology of Bredon Hill and the Carrant Valley

The archaeology of Bredon Hill and the Carrant Valley is probably the wealthiest in Worcestershire. It has long been a focus for archaeological work as the map below shows. Many of these discoveries have been associated with quarrying for sand and gravel alongside the Carrant Brook. The fertile and well-drained land has attracted local communities for a long period of time, first as gatherers and hunters, and later as farmers. Prehistoric evidence includes:

. Palaeolithic handaxes and other stone tools from Aston Mill Quarry and Beckford Quarry, . Mesolithic flints from Aston Mill Quarry, Huntsman's Quarry in Kemerton and from Beckford Quarry, . A small Neolithic henge (hengiform) at Westmancote, . Late Neolithic ring-ditches - the ploughed out remains of barrows – at Aston Mill Quarry and Huntsman's Quarry, Kemerton . Beaker burials on Bredon Hill, . Beaker pits and extensive evidence for Late Bronze Age settlement at Huntsman's Quarry, Kemerton, . Iron Age hillforts at Kemerton Camp, Conderton Camp and possibly at Elmley Castle, . Iron Age farmsteads south-west of Kemerton village, at Aston Mill Quarry, and at Beckford Quarry. Romano-British evidence includes:

. Farmsteads at Kemerton, Aston Mill, Beckford and Ashton-under-Hill, . A wealthy farmstead (perhaps a villa) and other closely-spaced settlements at Nettlebeds, Elmont Field and Overbury Wood in Conderton and Overbury.

Anglo-Saxon evidence includes:

. Cemeteries at Beckford, . Settlements at Kemerton Water Treatment Works and Aston Mill Quarry.