NHER 38205 (Monument record) - Bronze Age timber structure on Holme Beach

February to March 2003. NAU survey.
Unable to locate using total station theodolite as obscured by tide; used Global Positioning Sateliite instead.
A cluster of seven upright timbers. All roughly oval in cross section. It is unclear whether they formed part of a larger structure.
(S1)-(S2).
J. Allen (NLA), 23 April 2003.

September 2003. Site visit.
Five of seven posts visible - visible five are the five seen in July 2003.
In July posts were 0.01-0.02m proud from beach surface - in September 0.03- 0.09m proud.
D. Robertson (NAU), 21 October 2003.

January/Februray 2004. Monitoring and radiocarbon sampling.
Four of the seven posts were seen. An erosion scour has formed around the posts and has exposed peat and silt deposits. It is interesting that the area of peat and silt is apparently oval in shape and its surface is slightly dished. This form, along with its size, suggests that it could indicate the location of a pit. If so, the timbers could be part of a pit lining.
The visible posts are more visible than ever before – for example context 2 was 0.05m proud of the beach surface in September 2003 but in February 2004 it was 0.09 proud. Samples were taken for species identification and radicarbon from two of the timbers.
The samples provided dates of 2020-1690 cal BC and 1620-1400 cal BC. These dates are not statistically consistent and that the feature was modified/maintained over number of centuries or that reused material was used in its construction.
See (S3).
D. Robertson (NLA), 26 May 2006.

For further information on the Holme Beach walkover and monitoring surveys see final report (S4). 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.