NHER 21115 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of possible square enclosures

15 July 1980. NAU aerial photography.
Positive cropmarks of two possible square barrows on the line of the Roman 'Pye' road.
D. A. Edwards (NAU), 15 January 1985.

These marks are within the dark band taken to be the Roman road and/or its medieval successor, but the band is clearly much spread and the barrows could well have originally stood beside it.
For this reason they have a separate county number.
E. Rose (NAU), 11 February 1985.

Indeed the NAU report (filed under NHER 29734) takes the cropmark to be that of the 18th century turnpike road, bending away from the Roman course to the south-west; but it does not explain the rectangles.
Compiled by E. Rose (NLA), 20 October 1993.

Indeed the latter point is clearly confirmed on the 1990 aerial photographs which show the Pye Road separate from the 1768 turnpike.
Compiled by E. Rose (NLA), 18 December 1995.

2 July 1996. NLA aerial photography.
Cropmark of turnpike road visible, however no square barrow-like features can be discerned.
S. Massey (NLA), 23 July 2001.

The central grid reference for this site has been altered from TG 2225 0129 to TG 2228 0132.

March 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of possible square ditched or banked enclosures of uncertain date are visible on aerial photographs on the route of the Roman Pye Road (NHER 52170) and the post medieval Turnpike Road (NHER 9741). The site is centred on TG 2228 0132. These features have previously been interpreted as being the remains of square barrows situated alongside the Roman Road. However the NMP mapping from the aerial photographs would appear to indicate that the features were either on top of the road or underneath it, rather than alongside it. The only photographs where the features are particularly clear (S1) would suggest that the ‘enclosures’ may not be defined by ditches, as the cropmarks are in a state of reversal (ie ditches showing as light coloured marks and compacted or walled features showing as darker areas and lines). The square enclosures are showing as dark lines and this would suggest that under these specific circumstances that they are potentially defined by banks or walls and not ditches. The fact that the remnant of the road surface of what is likely to be the post medieval Turnpike Road is still showing on aerial photographs as late as the 1990s would also indicate that it is extremely unlikely that ditched enclosures which would have to pre-date the road would be showing as cropmarks in the 1980s. It is therefore possible that these features post-date both roads and could feasibly relate to Park features dating to the period after the roads went out of use. It is also worth noting that many of the edges of these ‘enclosures’ match up with the agricultural tramlines and could therefore not even represent non-archaeological features.
S. Horlock (NMP), 24 March 2009.