NHER 50850 (Monument record) - Earthworks of medieval to post medieval hollow ways

February 2008. Norfolk NMP
Earthworks of a series of braided hollow ways of medieval to early post medieval date are visible on aerial photographs (S1). A group of curvilinear ditch-like earthworks are present on a roughly west to east alignment. This group extends for 980m across Leziate Warren (S2) but continue as a separate group (NHER 50849) to the west of Bawsey brickworks (NHER 3413) giving it a total length of 2.8km. Unlike the western group, the earthworks on Leziate Warren were largely undisturbed by quarrying in 1946 (S1). A series of roughly west to east aligned braided hollow ways were present on the heath. They lay mainly within a 150m wide corridor on a direct line between King's Lynn and Gayton. It is likely that these braided hollow ways represent the main route across the heath prior to the construction of the King's Lynn to Grimston turnpike road in 1770 (S3). It is likely that the hollow ways are of medieval to early post medieval date. Prior to the construction of the turnpike the stretch of road at Bawsey Bottom, ‘was reckoned the worst piece of road in England, and dreaded by all travellers’ (S4). This supports the interpretation of the earthworks as braided hollow ways, with the route of the road across the heath constantly changing as a particular course became impassable. The turnpike road still survives as the B1145 immediately to the north of the course of the hollow ways. The significant increase in the extent of sand and gravel quarrying in this area during the second half of the 20th century means that almost all of the earthwork evidence of these hollow ways has been destroyed. Some later boundary earthworks and features relating to 19th century quarrying may also have been mapped within this group of earthworks.
J. Albone (NMP), 4 February 2008.