NHER 52125 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Site of probable late medieval or early post medieval banked enclosures and double-ditched trackway on the western edge of former Sprowston Common

June 2009. Norfolk NMP.
Undated linear and curvilinear bank features were visible as germination cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1), centred on TG 2498 1271. It is possible that they relate to the late medieval to post medieval common edge activity characterised by sites to the north (NHER 50984), and to the east (NHER 50985, 50986 and 51960) and for that reason a tentative late medieval to post medieval date has been attributed to them.

The site is located on the western edge of the area shown on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S2) as Sprowston Common, just to the north of Mousehold heath and Ravensgate Way, as shown on a 16th century map reproduced by Rye (S3). It seems likely that these soil and cropmarks represent settlement or enclosure at the edge of the common or heath. Common-edge settlements are a characteristic feature of the Norfolk landscape, with significant settlement migration away from the common edge occurring during the medieval period, and comparison can be drawn with similar sites (NHER 50727, 50728, 50729 and 50730) to the north-east, in Rackheath, recorded as part of the Norfolk ALSF NMP project (S4).

A pair of parallel linear banks are visible running roughly east-west from TG 2527 1284 to TG 2490 1288, and these appear to be a continuation of the northernmost features recorded as NHER 50985. It is probable that these features continue into the field to the west of Church Lane, in the form of an S-shaped possible field boundary, running roughly north-south from TG2486 1287 to TG 2473 1235.

A possible rectilinear enclosure, visible to the north west corner of the site, is visible at TG 2474 1281. The feature measures approximately 73m by 57m internally, 87m by 82m externally, although the bank features may appear slightly broader due to blurring of the features in an early crop. As they were only visible on one set of aerial photographs (S1), their identification is tentative.
E. Bales (NMP), 16 June 2009.

September 2025. Record reviewed as part of the Forestry Commission Project K
Sections of the undated (but possibly medieval to post medieval) linear and curvilinear bank features, recorded by the previous NMP survey (see above), are also visible as very low earthworks on relatively recent (2021) visualised lidar data (S5). As the lidar survey was flown recently, it is likely that the features visible on S5, still survive as very low earthworks
J. Powell (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 02 September 2025