NHER 45203 (Monument record) - Multi-period and undated cropmarks

SOME OF THESE CROPMARKS WERE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED UNDER NHER 11788.

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a dispersed group of multi-period and undated ditches are visible on aerial photographs to the immediate east of the A12 in Hopton and Gorleston (S1-S9). The site is centred on TG 5258 0079 and covers the area from the A12 in the west, Links Road to the north and Station Road to the south. NHER 45202, which deals with features to the west of the A12, covers the area from the Sidegate Road in the west and north, Hall Road to the south and the A12 to the east.

The cropmarks have been split into several different sites. NHER 43494-6 and 43525 deal with settlement, enclosures and fields of potential late prehistoric to Roman date. The main sites being NHER 43494, a large late prehistoric settlement and field system that appears to be overlain by NHER 43495, which is a large coaxial Roman field system and/or settlement. Several trackways run through the site and have been recorded under NHER 43501 and 43529-30. A large prehistoric round barrow cemetery is located at the southern end of the site (NHER 43526) plus several more isolated ring ditches (NHER 43515-6). All of the post medieval field boundaries are grouped under NHER 45159. The cropmarks recorded under this multi-period site do not appear to fit into any specific phase. Without further evidence it is impossible to offer any worthwhile interpretation of these features. Additional aerial photographic material or archaeological excavation would be needed to investigate this area further. For details of finds recorded within this general area see NHER 11788, 25088 and 36627 and these range from prehistoric to post medieval in date.

The majority of the cropmarks are located within the central and southern parts of the site, with a concentration of features at around TG 5239 0028. Most of the cropmarks consist of fragmentary ditches and linear features and are likely to represent fragments of former field boundaries. Some of these ditches run parallel to one another and may represent double ditched boundaries or trackway segments, at TG 5268 0095 and TG 5240 0113. At TG 5271 0085 is a pair of parallel ditches that have a pit alignment running through the centre (S5). To the immediate north of this are further parallel ditches, running in-between the Long Belt plantation and the field boundary to the east. The date of these ditches is not clear as they share alignment with both elements of the Roman field system (NHER 43495) and the post medieval boundaries (NHER 41459). Also centred on TG 5257 0072 is a small U-shaped ditch, 5m across at the open end (S5). This is located within one of fields associated with NHER 43495, but it is not clear whether it is contemporary.
S. Massey (NMP), 24 October 2006.

August 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development area to south-east of junction between Lowestoft Road and Links Road.
This survey identified the remains of potentially prehistoric field systems and trackways, with many of the linear anomalies corresponding with previously identified cropmark features.
Report awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2018.

August 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of three fields to south-east of junction between Lowestoft Road and Links Road.
Two fragmentary cropmarks from this group were investigated, only one of which was associated with a corresponding sub-surface feature. This ditch produced a single sherd of Iron Age pottery.
See NHER 62793 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2018.

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 (S13) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.