NHER 13020 (Monument record) - Site with many cropmarks but only limited evidence for surviving archaeological remains

THE CROPMARKS PREVIOUSLY UNDER THIS NUMBER ARE NOW RECORDED UNDER SEPARATE NHER NUMBERS. THE ENCLOSURES AND TRACKWAY MENTIONED ARE UNDER NHER 45056. ADDITIONAL CROPMARKS WITHIN THIS AREA ARE UNDER NHER 43497, 45053, 45055 AND 45057.

AN AIRCRAFT CRASH SITE IS NOW RECORDED UNDER NHER 63142.

1976.
Cropmarks of large enclosures, also possibly a north to south trackway, though this is probably a modern feature.
E. Rose (NAU), 9 January 1978.

19 January 1982. Field Observation.
Site of new hospital extension works at TG 5220 0206 visited.
Initial removal of topsoil/overburden under way, no apparent features visible. No surface finds.
Information from (S1).
D. Edwards (NAU), 20 January 1982. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 March 2019.

29 January 1982. Field Observation.
Site visited.
Area to roadway to north of hospital and various east to west (electricity) service trenches stripped/excavated into natural bedded sands, by contractor. Excavated areas and trenches examined. No sign of archaeological features. Spoil heaps examined and no trace of artefacts found.
Information from (S1).
D. Edwards (NAU), 1 February 1982. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 March 2019.

4 February 1982. Field Observation.
Site visited.
East to west road lines and service trenches across whole site stripped to natural subsoil. No features visible. No artefacts found.
Information from (S1).
D. Edwards (NAU), 9 February 1982. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 March 2019.

January 1998. Desk-based Assessment.
Study of proposed South Gorleston Development Area.
An aerial photographic assessment undertaken as part of this work identified and mapped a range of potentially archaeologically significant cropmark features.
As discussed below, these cropmarks are now split across several different records, with the majority recorded under NHERs 45056 and 45057.
See report (S2) for further details. This assessment is also noted in (S3).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2019.

1998. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of undeveloped area to west of hospital (part of proposed South Gorleston Development Area).
Initial scanning suggested that the south-western part of the site was highly disturbed - most likely due to the presence of a World War II searchlight battery at this location (visible on aerial photographs and now recorded as NHER 42518). A detailed survey of two areas revealed anomalies that could represent isolated pit-type features but overall little of clear archaeological significance was identified.
Although the fragmentary linear anomalies identified were interpreted as being of agricultural origin, at least one appears to correspond with a subsequently mapped cropmark feature (NHER 45057). Although a cropmark ring-ditch (NHER 43553) lay entirely within one of the areas examined no associated anomalies were identified.
This site was under set aside in 1998 and was therefore not fieldwalked.
See report (S4) for further details. This survey is also noted in (S3).
See NHER 60114 for details of the field survey undertaken as part of this evaluation.
E. Rose (NLA), 20 May 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 25 July 2014.

Correspondence in file.

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks previously recorded under this number are now split into several different sites. The enclosures and trackway mentioned above are now recorded under NHER 45056 and are post medieval in date. The fragments of a series of possible late prehistoric enclosures and field boundaries have also been identified on the aerial photographs (NHER 45055), plus possible Roman date boundaries (NHER 43497) and a ring ditch (NHER 45053). As no sub-surface features were detected during the archaeological fieldwork, it is possible that these ditches were relatively shallow and had been destroyed by ploughing or by the surface stripping prior to examination. Many of the post medieval boundaries recorded under NHER 45056 were visible as soilmarks of former banked features and it is not surprising that these were not visible on the ground after stripping had taken place, although it would have been expected that the accompanying ditches would be visible.
S. Massey (NMP), 24 October 2006.