Abstract

Archaeological works in advance of the construction of Sizewell C are being undertaken by OCA , a partnership between Oxford Archaeology and Cotswold Archaeology. The project is one of the largest in the East of England, with ongoing investigation of over 70 sites. While remains have been recorded from across the millennia, this talk focusses on the medieval period and the opportunity that the scale of the project provides for exploration of activity around the sites of Leiston Abbey, a house of Premonstratensian Canons. The abbey was founded in 1182 on an island within Minsmere but with increased storms and flooding, was moved inland in the mid 14th century. The community held one of the largest and most compact property portfolios in Suffolk, centred on Leiston, and the excavations promise insights into uses of the landscape, filling a gap in the coverage of documentary records and prompting exploration of responses to historical, climatic and coastal change.