NHER 38199 (Monument record) - Possible Bronze Age coppice on Holme Beach

Formerly called Holme platform IV.

February to March 2003. NAU survey.
One of two closely located clusters of laid timbers (the other being NHER 38200, to the southeast). Both clusters consist of a series of logs and branches laid parallel, perpendicular and at distinct angles to each other. They may have been two separate but similar monuments or the remnants of one monument. They may represent possible one or more trackways or platforms. This cluster was made up of at least twenty three pieces of timber.
See (S1)-(S2).
J. Allen (NLA), 29 July 2003.

September 2003. Site visit.
Monument located easily without Global Positioning Satellite. Area of monument and around covered with layer of sand. Able to identify all of long, rectilinear timbers as shapes/humps in sand. Unable to locate many of smaller, shorter pieces - it may be that they are covered or have been lost to the sea.
The erosion is a great and continuous threat to the monument.
D. Robertson (NAU), 21 October 2003.

January/February 2004.
Overhang on eastern side of monument has eroded further. Some sand has been deposited around the monument, particularly to the north. Timbers are being undercut in the northwestern part of the monument.
Two further samples were taken for species identification. One of these, along with a sample taken in November 2003, was submitted for radiocarbon dating. One notch made by humans was identified by [1].
The two samples returned calibrated dates of 2030-1740 cal BC and 1930-1660 cal BC.
See (S3).
D. Robertson (NLA), 25 May 2006.

The monument may be comparable to a Neolithic trackway found at Silvertown, London. This excavated trackway had 'kerb' planks (split timbers) that are reasonably similar the two main 'rails' on platfom IV (although platform IV's rails are not split). The tentative reconstruction drawing of the Silvertown trackway is reminiscent of part of platform IV (and platform V, NHER 38200).
See (S4).
D. Robertson (NLA), 25 May 2006.

May 2006. Monitoring.
Examination by [1] suggested that many of the timbers are collapsed coppice, rather than part of a deliberately made structure. The timbers may include parts of stools, stools dismantled for the stool wood, wood felled by beavers and/or rejects from coppicing. Species present are oak and possible alder and willow.
The most likely explanation is that a stand of relatively small trees was cut down by animal browsing, beavers or humans and then the coppiced stems were allowed to grow to maturity. If the coppice was then felled or partly harvested by beavers this would create wind corridors - these could result in the coppice falling in one event or a number of events. Waterlogging and its effect on trees that probably had shallow roots may also have caused them to fall. Unfortunately evidence for tool marks, beaver tooth marks and removed stems has been destroyed by erosion - this may have allowed firmer conclusions to be made.
See (S5)-(S6).
D. Robertson (NLA), 12 June 2006.

For further information on the Holme Beach walkover and monitoring surveys see final report (S7). The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.321).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 11 May 2019.