Classic Time Team Season 6 Episode 5 Plympton, Devon

In the sixth season of the Classic Time Team series, the fifth episode is named Plympton, Devon. Tony Robinson and his team of archaeologists are all set to explore the heritage of this ancient town located in the South West of England.

Plympton has a rich history going back to the Saxon era, and its past is as varied as it is interesting. The team, this time accompanied by an enthusiastic group of volunteers, set out to find traces of the town’s heritage, from the Roman times to as recent as the Second World War.

The first order of business is to excavate the foundations of the church of St. Mary’s, which was built in the Norman times. The church was destroyed in the 16th century, and its ruins were further destroyed under the Protectorate. The team starts digging in the graveyard of the church, hoping to find valuable artifacts and long-buried foundations. In a bid to ensure an accurate measurement of the area, the team brings in a surveyor to mark out a grid to divide the site into manageable areas.

After a tough few hours of digging, the team discovers what looks like the remains of the original church, and they try to uncover some of the long-buried stones of the structure. Tony explains that during the Reformation, the practice of breaking down churches was common, which is why the ruins were later destroyed.

The next site the team visits is the old manor house. The present structure was built in the late 1800s, but there are elements of an older building that may have been replaced. The team sets up various tools, including ground-penetrating equipment, to get an idea of what might lie beneath the building. The team is joined by a local historian who guides them through the history of the lords and the ladies that lived in this structure throughout history.

At this point, the weather takes a sudden turn for the worse, but it does not dampen the spirits of the team, who move on to the third site - a Roman villa. The team does research on the site, uncovering that the villa was discovered back in the 1960s. The archaeologists get to work and use a magnetic survey tool to detect any buried artifacts, and they start to dig up the area. Tony explains to the team that although the villa would have been the focal point, it would have also been a farming and trading hub.

Later, the team ventures out to a fourth site, which is on the outskirts of Plympton. It is a mystery site for which there is no reliable information. The team sets up equipment and starts digging, but there is not much luck with it, at least initially. But a few meters down, they discover a trove of broken pottery and a few coins. The team pieces together a small bowl from the pottery fragments. They try to date the pottery and the coins but cannot find an exact date range.

The episode ends with the team concluding that the town has a rich history that is still being revealed. They have found enough to show how the town has changed over the centuries. The remaining ruins and artifacts are a testament to ancient cultures and ways of living that have undergone colossal changes over the centuries.

Classic Time Team season 6 episode 5 Plympton, Devon is an intriguing episode that takes the viewer on a journey of discovery. The team shines a light on the town’s heritage and shows how it has evolved through the ages. The episode is a reminder of how the past is present in even the smallest towns and how it can be uncovered with a little bit of digging and curiosity.