EMILY PRESCOTT: Archaeological dig delays JCB man’s Cotswolds hotel

As the head of JCB, Lord Bamford is no stranger to excavations.

So it’s ironic that the peer’s bid to build a Cotswolds hotel has been delayed by a dig of the archaeological kind.

And among the findings which may warrant further investigation are significant Roman ditches.

It’s an unforeseen hitch to the plans Lord Bamford and Lady Carole – founder of the Daylesford Organic brand – have for a 38-bedroom hotel with restaurant and alehouse in Kingham, near Chipping Norton.

The hard-working Bamfords have been described as Britain’s ‘best connected couple’ and have taken care with the ‘eco-friendly’ project – which has been described as being ‘focused on restoring the cultural heritage’ of the old Mill House Hotel, the proposed site.

Lady Carole founded the Daylesford Organic Farm shop in Gloucestershire

But a council archaeologist has called for development to be stalled after Roman and prehistoric remains were unearthed on the site, where a flour mill was recorded in the Domesday Book. Experts dug 11 trenches around the property and found a prehistoric flint, part of a medieval jar and fragments of hand-made iron nails, among other discoveries. Oxfordshire County Council’s planning archaeologist, Victoria Green, recommended that if planning permission is granted, the Bamfords would need to be responsible for further archaeological investigations before construction began.

The couple also own nearby Daylesford House and its 1,500-acre estate, where Boris and Carrie Johnson held their wedding party last year.

For years, the Bamfords have been bounteous with their wealth and their good fortune. Daylesford Organic has five shops and a wellness spa.

West Oxfordshire District Council has yet to make a decision.