NHER 45056 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of field boundaries of predominantly post medieval date

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, including a number now included in this group.
See report (S27) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 16 March 2019.

1998. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of undeveloped area to west of hospital (part of proposed South Gorleston Development Area).
Although one of the areas selected for detailed survey coincided with cropmarks in this group mapped at TG 5186 0244, no corresponding sub-surface remains were identified.
See NHER 13020 and report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 15 March 2019.

August 1998. Trial Trenching.
Partial evaluation of South Gorleston Development Area (Stage 1; Trenches 21-24).
A deposit recorded in a trench excavated at approximately TG 5159 0198 was possibly the trace of a bank continuing the line of one of the east-to-west aligned cropmark in this group. A single post-medieval tile was recovered from a similarly-aligned ditch to the west.
Although trenches excavated in the southern half of the proposed development area to the south of the James Paget Hospital should have coincided with at least two of the cropmarks in this group, no corresponding sub-surface remains were identified.
See NHERs 39347 and 57862 and report (S13) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 15 March 2019.

December 1998. Trial Trenching.
Partial evaluation of northern half of proposed development area to south of James Paget Hospital (South Gorleston Development Area; Stage 2).
Trenches placed to investigate north-to-south and north-north-east to south-south-west aligned cropmarks in this group both failed to identify any corresponding sub-surface remains.
See NHER 39347 and report (S14) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 16 March 2019.

February-March 1999. Excavation.
Excavation of footprints of new roads and associated drainage works within southern half of development area to south of James Paget Hospital (South Gorleston Development Area; Construction Phase 1).
Although excavation areas should have coincided with a number of the cropmarks in this group no corresponding sub-surface features or deposits were identified.
See NHER 39347 and report (S9) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 16 March 2019.

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a large area of post medieval field boundaries are visible surrounding Wood Farm to the northeast of Hobland Plantation (S2- S11). The site is centred on TG 5164 0238. These are part of a much wider spread of post medieval field boundaries within this area; NHER 45158 to the south, divided by Sidegate Road, and NHER 45154 to the west, largely separated by Hobland Lane.

Many of these features were identified during the aerial photograph phase of the desktop assessment for the South Gorleston Development Area (S12). These boundaries were then subsequently targeted by excavation during the evaluation in 1998 (S13-S14). No trace of any of the banked boundaries visible on the aerial photographs was detected within the trenches. These banks were only showing only as soilmarks on aerial photographs from the early 1950s. The visibility of the features at this time is likely to relate to a period of increased ploughing depth, which destroyed and spread the material of previously surviving low earthwork remains. None of these banks were visible on later aerial photographs, suggesting that all trace of them had been removed. Only the corresponding ditches, where present, are visible on later aerial photographs. The northeastern part of the site now lies underneath the St James Paget hospital and this area was also evaluated before and during the construction of the building. No trace of the substantial boundaries visible on the aerial photographs was identified on the ground at this site either (NHER 13020).

The cropmarks in the area of the hospital relate to a former trackway, which ran south from Crow Hall at TG 5215 0291. This track was up to 13m wide and varied in appearance from a wide hollow way to a double ditched linear feature. To either side of this trackway are a series of fields or enclosures, including a large irregularly shaped enclosure defined to the south by broad bank and accompanying ditch (S6, S9). This irregular boundary, trackway and enclosures are depicted on the 1813 Gorleston Enclosure map (S15).

The similarly complex areas of boundary banks and ditches to the northwest and south of the hospital are not marked on the Enclosure map, indicating that they have been removed at an earlier date or as part of the parliamentary enclosure process. The boundaries to the south consist of a series of predominantly rectilinear enclosed areas and parallel boundaries, aligned roughly north-south or east-west. The majority of these features were only visible as soilmarks in 1953 (S7). The boundaries in this area are overlying a series of ditches potentially dating to the Iron Age to Roman period (NHER 45052). Two of the boundaries follow a slightly different alignment, being more northeast/southwest than north-south. The more westerly of these, running from TG 5167 0229 to TG 5146 0178, follows the line of a boundary or trackway leading to Magdalene College on the Enclosure map (S15). This feature may have defined part of the edge of the Gorleston common, as it corresponds with the limits marked on the 1797 Faden map. A bank running along the western edge of Woodfarm Lane appears to overlie the cropmarks of a sinuous trackway of unknown definite date (NHER 43529), for which a possible prehistoric origin has tentatively been suggested. It is possible that the line of this trackway persisted into the historic period, with Woodfarm Lane following the same route. The Hodskinson map of 1783 shows the line of the lane continuing across the common to the Lowestoft Road to the southeast. This suggests that Woodfarm Lane originally continued across the common and it is possible that the sinuous trackway visible as a cropmark (NHER 43529) is the remains of this route. Although the plan revealed by the cropmarks is much more curvilinear and irregular than that depicted on the map.

To the northwest of the hospital is another area of boundaries, which were again only visible as soilmarks in the 1950s (S5, S8). The enclosures and boundaries are quite irregular in shape, similar to those on the hospital site and seem to relate to the same broad phase of enclosure. It could be argued that these more irregular enclosures are earlier than the more regular and rectilinear boundaries to the south of the hospital. It is possible that some have medieval origins, although this is not certain.
S. Massey (NMP), 16 October 2006.

Part of this site may be Bronze Age in date and is now recorded under NHER 57396.
S. Horlock (NMP), 19 July 2012.

February 2017.
Research undertaken in 2012 and published in (S17) suggested that two banked enclosures recorded within this site, centred on TG 5172 0187 (Site A) and to a lesser extent another at TG 5149 0298 (Site B) could feasibly be Middle Bronze Age in date. Developer-funded work dated two parallel ditches within a complex area of field boundaries (NHER 45158 and 43494) and banked enclosures (NHER 45056) to the Middle Bronze Age; one contained a Middle Bronze Age hoard (S18). The southern banked enclosure ‘A’ is in close proximity to these Bronze Age ditches and follows the same alignment. It also shares a number of similarities to a Middle Bronze Age enclosure excavated at Ormesby (NHER 30626).
See NHER 57396 and (S17) for full details and discussion.
It must be noted that the original medieval to post medieval interpretation may still be valid for the most, if not all, of these features recorded within NHER 45056.
S. Horlock (NHES), 8 February 2017.

February-March 2010. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of underground electrical cables.
Although the cable trench crossed the line of cropmarks in this group at several locations (including TG 5124 0258 and TG 5126 0255) no corresponding sub-surface remains were observed.
See report (S19) and NHERs 62738 and 62739 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 April 2018.

January 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site immediately to south of ambulance station.
The seven trenches excavated revealed a number of ditches, at least one of which probably corresponds with one of the linear cropmarks assigned to this group. This north-north-east to south-south-west aligned feature produced a single fragment of post-medieval tile.
See report (S20) and NHER 57862 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 January 2019.

May 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of two additional proposed development sites, one to the south of the area examined in January 2011 and one to the east.
Although several of the trenches should have coincided with cropmarks in this group no obviously corresponding features were identified.
See report (S21) and NHER 57862 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 6 January 2019.

January 2013. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of large proposed development area.
The area examined included the field to the east of Gorleston Lane in which several cropmarks assigned to this group have been recorded (all in the southern half of the field at c.TG 510 025). There was no evidence for corresponding subsurface remains.
See report (S22) and NHER 62730 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 January 2019.

March 2014. Trial Trenching.
Additional phase of evaluation at Beacon Park (Site 14; Trenches 19-27).
One of the trenches excavated at this location revealed an undated ditch that appeared to correspond with the west-north-west to east-south-east cropmark mapped at TG 5129 0200. There was however no evidence for surviving features or deposits associated with the north-to-south aligned banked boundary mapped at TG 5138 0197.
See report (S23) and NHER 57862 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2019.

July 2014. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed A12-A143 link road (Trench 26).
Although the single trench excavated to the west of Beaufort Way should have coincided with at least one of the cropmarks in this group no corresponding sub-surface remains were identified.
See report (S24) and NHER 57862 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 January 2019.

June-July 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of field to west of Woodfarm Lane.
Although several of the trenches coincided with cropmarks in this group there was again little evidence for surviving sub-surface remains. The one notable exception was a spread of material identified at TG 5135 0253 that is likely to represent the ploughed-out remains of one of the east-to-west aligned banks.
See report (S25) and NHER 62738 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 January 2019.

March-May 2017. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of pipeline easement through the Magdalen Recreation Ground (TG 5145 0302).
Although one of the excavated strips coincided with three of the mapped cropmarks no corresponding subsurface remains were identified. The only potentially related deposit was a concentration of gravel noted within the subsoil approximately 15m to the west of one of the cropmark features.
See report (S26) and NHER 62732 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 January 2019.

January 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site adjacent to Captain Manby PH, Guinevere Road.
Although the trenches coincided with three of the north-to-south aligned cropmarks in this group no associated sub-surface remains were identified.
See report (S28) and NHER 67116 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 June 2023.

March 2023. Assessment of the Character and Significance of East Anglian Field Systems project.
The site described above was included in the dataset analysed for the Historic England-funded Assessment of East Anglian Field Systems project. See the project report (S29) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.

January 2024. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of small proposed development site to south of Potters Field.
The trenches excavated at this location identified a number of ditches likely to correspond with cropmarks in this group, although unfortunately no dating evidence was recovered.
See report (S30) and NHER 68434 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 August 2024.

April-May 2024. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of land east of Woodfarm Lane.
Two of the features in this group coincided with the excavated trenches – a north-to-south aligned cropmark at TG 5154 0259 and an east-to-west aligned cropmark at TG 5156 0256. Both were shown to coincide with surviving ditches, with the one associated with the latter found to contain pottery of possible late medieval/early post-medieval date.
Information from draft report.
See report (S31) and NHER 68434 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 August 2024.

September-October 2024. Excavation.
Final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to development of area to west of Woodfarm Lane.
This work exposed an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditch at TG 5137 0260 that coincided with one of the banks likely to represent former field boundaries. This truncated the two other ditches recorded (both undated) but finds were limited to a single handmade pottery sherd of probable Late Iron Age date.
See report (S32) and NHER 62738 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2025.