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QR codes lead the way to archaeological treasures

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire Council White ceramic tile set amongst porphyry stone paving in the market square. A large circular stone sculpture is visible behind.West Northamptonshire Council
The QR codes are displayed on white ceramic tiles set into the ground at Northampton market

Visitors to a market square can now follow a trail to discover where artefacts dating back to medieval times were found.

QR codes have been installed at Northampton's newly-refurbished market which link to a map and detailed information about the treasure trove of finds.

The objects include a decorated leather flask, part of a boot, and an archer's wrist guard.

There is also evidence of a market hall which historians previously knew nothing about.

Northampton Market reopened in October 2024 after a £12m refurbishment project.

New Italian-made market stalls were put in place, along with a water feature and a dedicated events space.

Sam Read/BBC Brick-paved market, with brown stalls to the left selling fruit and customers looking at the produce. It has clearly been raining.Sam Read/BBC
Northampton Market Square was reopened in October 2024 after a £12m refurbishment project

Work by the Museum of London Archaeology team took place before and during the refurbishment and unearthed a range of objects including:

  • A decorated medieval leather flask
  • A medieval wrist guard for an archer
  • The upper part of a medieval boot
  • Part of a medieval decorative leather strap
  • Medieval leather offcuts of udders
Museum of London Archaeology A brown leather object, with a crown shape embossed into it. It shows signs of age.Museum of London Archaeology
A leather flask was one of the medieval finds made in the market square

There was evidence of several structures which had long disappeared including a fine stone building in the centre of the market square which may have been a previous market hall.

There was also another stone building dating from the first half of the 12th Century and some evidence of the Great Conduit, a stone structure, which may have been built by Edward VI to bring water to Northampton Castle.

There were signs of some of the structures on the west side of the market, which were visible on a map of the town by renowned cartographer John Speed and stood before the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675.

Dan Lister with short dark hair wearing a blue jacket and pink tie, standing on brick paving with market stalls behind him
Dan Lister from West Northamptonshire Council said he was intrigued to discover what else was hidden beneath the market

Dan Lister, West Northamptonshire Council's cabinet member for local economy, said: "We have quite a collection of fascinating artefacts which are still being studied by experts in a bid to shed even more light on the heritage of our Market Square.

"We are intrigued to see if they manage to uncover anything else during the excavations, which are being carried out to bring a new and energised public space to Northampton town centre."

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