NHER 56758 (Monument record) - Undated, potentially prehistoric ditches, possible post-medieval quarry pit, and multi-period finds

January 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The sixteen trenches excavated revealed a large pit interpreted as a post-medieval quarry and three ditches of uncertain date.
All three of the ditches were aligned east-to-west and located in the eastern half of the site. Finds were limited to a single sherd of Early Iron Age pottery and a small number of worked flints, including a potentially Early Neolithic blade-like flake and a crude scraper or keeled core of probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date.
A possible prehistoric date was suggested for these features based on the presence of these finds, although the varied dates and small quantities make it likely that most (if not all) of this material was probably residual. Environmental samples taken from the fills of the ditches produced charcoal, seeds and hazelnut shell fragments, along with a variety of burnt debris and bone fragments thought to be derived from late post-medieval or modern night soil deposits.
The one other discovery of note was a cluster of Middle Iron Age pottery (38 sherds, all from a single vessel) which was recovered from a subsoil deposit in the westernmost trench along with fired clay and burnt flint.
The small number of other unstatified finds recovered included prehistoric worked flints, 3 medieval pottery sherds, 1 medieval/post-medieval pottery sherd, 2 clay tobacco pipe fragments, an 18th- to 19th-century watch key and a modern coin.
See report (S1) for further information.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.57).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.

March-May 2012. Strip, Map and Sample Excavation.
This final phase of work took place during the construction of a new primary school in the western half of the site.
Stripping of topsoil from the footprint of the school buildings and the route of an associated access road revealed no archaeologically-significant features. It should though be noted that an underlying subsoil deposit was only fully removed from one part of the building footprint. It is likely that this deposit will have obscured any remains that were present – as perhaps demonstrated by the fact that no trace was seen of the ditches identified during the preceding trenching.
The subsequent excavation of foundation trenches for the school buildings was monitored, but no features were observed.
Unstratified finds recovered from the topsoil layer during these works included:
3 prehistoric flint flakes.
4 post-medieval coins, 7 clay tobacco pipe fragments, 1 thimble, 1 cuff link, 2 bar mounts, 3 buttons, 1 ferrule/cylinder, 1 bar and 3 copper alloy studs.
6 post-medieval/modern pottery sherds,1 glass bottle fragment and 3 buckles.
1 modern coin.
3 undatable copper alloy suspension rings, 1 lead pot mend, 2 lead weights and 10 lead waste fragments/offcuts.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 20 March 2021.