NHER 52037 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmark of possible Late Iron Age to Early Roman enclosure ditch

October 2007. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Route (Phase 2).
Trench excavated across ditch forming western side of enclosure (the presence of which had been indicated by a preceding geophysical survey). Although a substantial ditch was identified and excavated, no dating evidence was recovered.
See report (S6) and NHER 49758 for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 29 July 2015.

April 2009. Norfolk NMP.
Linear cropmarks are visible on aerial photographs (S1)-(S5), centred on TG 2928 0880. These clearly form parts of the north, south and west ditches of a large rectilinear enclosure, measuring approximately 121m from north-south. The total area covered by this enclosure is unclear as its eastern edge is not visible, but it has a minimum width of 64m. An (11m) interruption in the cropmark, which may represent a possible entrance, is present on its western side, at TG 2925 0882, in the vicinity of a large pit feature, recorded as part of a series of multi-period features in the vicinity (NHER 52038), which may in fact be a natural geological feature.
Unfortunately no evidence for the date of this enclosure was recovered from archaeological evaluation of the site (S6), although its form and apparently isolated nature make a prehistoric or Roman date the most likely.
Its alignment, however, is slightly different to the other Late Prehistoric to Roman features recorded in the vicinity (NHER 51973, 52039), and has more in common with the medieval to post medieval field systems identified to the north (NHER 51971), and therefore a later date for this feature cannot be ruled out.
E. Bales (NMP), 6 April 2009.

January 2010. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of section of proposed Postwick Hub.
This work saw trenches excavated across the western and northern sides of the enclosure, both of which revealed particularly substantial ditches. Finds were relatively scarce, limited to a small assemblage of later prehistoric worked flints, a single sherd of Early Neolithic pottery and scraps of Middle Bronze Age pottery. On the basis of this material a prehistoric date was suggested for the enclosure, although this must remain a provisional interpretation given the small number of finds recovered from the excavated slots.
See report (S7) and NHERs 49758 and 50504 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 July 2015.