NHER 57862 (Monument record) - Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, medieval, post-medieval and undated features

January 1998. Desk-based Assessment.
Study of proposed South Gorleston Development Area.
An aerial photographic assessment undertaken as part of this work identified and mapped a range of potentially archaeologically significant cropmark features. Those at this location included a ring-ditch thought to potentially represent the remains of a Bronze Age barrow and various boundaries likely to have been associated with at least one former field system.
These cropmark features are now recorded separately - the ring-ditch (now thought to have been associated with a medieval windmill mound) as NHER 45050 and the various other features under NHERs
45052, 45056 and 45058.
See report (S1) for further details. This assessment is also noted in (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2019.

August 1998. Trial Trenching.
Partial evaluation of South Gorleston Development Area (Stage 1; Trenches 21-24).
One of the trenches was positioned to investigate the previously identified cropmark ring-ditch at TG 5154 0213 (now NHER 45050). This revealed two substantial ditches that clearly corresponded with the western and eastern sides of the ring-ditch and a group of what appeared to be intercutting midway between them. The ditches produced a relatively large assemblage of post-Roman pottery, several medieval bricks, iron nails and lava quern fragments. The pottery was of predominantly medieval date, although it was clearly the accumulated debris from a long period of activity, with sherds of high medieval date present alongside smaller quantities of Late Saxon/early medieval and late medieval/transitional material. In contrast the central pits produced no finds apart from a few fragments of lava quern. Several other pits within and beyond the ring-ditch also produced little dating evidence. At the time of its excavation the ring-ditch and its associated features were regarded as most likely the remains of a funerary monument, with the central features potentially representing deliberately disturbed burial pits. It was however suggested that the presence of so much medieval material made it more likely to be of Anglo-Saxon rather than prehistoric date. A more recent review of the evidence when the cropmarks were remapped did however conclude that it was more probable that these remains were associated with a medieval windmill mound - see NHER 45050.
The three other trenches excavated at this location were positioned to investigate minor concentrations of artefacts identified during a preceding fieldwalking survey (see NHER 60114). These revealed several ditches and a number of pits and post-holes, the majority of which produced little or no dating evidence. Although none of these features can be directly associated with cropmark features a possible bank deposit exposed in one trenches appears to potentially continue the line of an east-to-west aligned cropmark though to form part of a field system of probable post-medieval date (NHER 45056). A single post-medieval tile was recovered from a similarly-aligned ditch to the west. The possible pits and post-holes were all fairly unremarkable features.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
Previously recorded under NHER 11787.
E. Rose (NLA) 8 January 1999. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2018.

February-March 1999. Excavation.
Excavation of areas to be occupied by roads and drainage features associated Construction Stage One of the South Gorleston development.
The relatively small area excavated to the west of Wood Farm Lane revealed a single ditch that clearly corresponded with a field boundary marked on the late 19th-century 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map.
See report (S5) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S6).
Previously recorded under NHER 11787.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2018.

A combined archive comprising material from the two phases of fieldwork undertaken between 1998 and 1999 has now been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.194).
P. Watkins (HES), 18 June 2020.

February-March 2010. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of underground electrical cables.
A cable trench and a joint bay excavated to the north of the ambulance station exposed a north-east to south-west aligned ditch and a possible pit, neither of which produced any dating evidence. Although the alignment of the ditch is similar to that of a number of potentially Late Prehistoric or Roman cropmark features recorded in this part of the field (NHER 45052), the closest similarly-aligned cropmarks belong to a group thought to represent boundaries of predominantly post-medieval date (NHER 45056).
The cable trench excavated to the south of the ambulance station passed through the site of a cropmark ring-ditch (NHER 43554), but although several ditches were recorded in this area it is not certain which (if any) were associated with this potentially prehistoric feature. Although a narrow north-east to south-west aligned ditch was recorded on or close to the mapped location of the ring-ditch it is suggested that a pair of slightly curvi-linear ditches exposed approximately 10m to the south were more likely to have been associated with the cropmark feature. It is noted that the distance between these two more substantial ditches was very similar to the recorded diameter of the ring-ditch. Unfortunately no finds were recovered from any of these ditches.
The only other feature identified in this part of the field was a small undated possible pit.
See report (S7) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 10 May 2018.

October-December 2010. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of footprint of new road system being constructed to facilitate further expansion of the Beacon Park industrial estate.
The more notable remains included a group of three pits of probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date uncovered towards the southern end of the site, close to the location of a cropmark ring-ditch (NHER 43554). One of these pits contained a small assemblage of Beaker pottery and a number of potentially contemporary flint flakes, with the bulk of this material coming from a dark, charcoal rich primary fill. A sample taken from this deposit produced charcoal and fragments of charred hazelnut shell. Slight scorching of the margins of the pit suggested that some of this material had potentially been dumped whilst still hot. The two other pits in this group were probably of a similar age, although these only produced a single undiagnostic sherd of prehistoric pottery and a small number of flint flakes. A sample from the fill of one did though also contain charred hazelnut shells. The character of the worked flint recovered elsewhere on the site suggests that much, if not all of this material was associated with this Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age phase of activity.
In another part of the site an irregular pit was found to contain a large quantity of Early Iron Age pottery. This assemblage comprises a mix of fineware and plainware vessels, with the former including a finely decorated jar with incised decoration that appears to be unparalleled in the county and may therefore represent an import from elsewhere. A sample taken from the fill of this pit produced charcoal but little else of note.
Two additional sherds of Early Iron Age pottery were recovered from a north-to-south aligned ditch, although this material may well have been residual. It is though noted that this feature appeared to correlate with a previously mapped cropmark that is part of a group thought to represent remains of probable Iron Age to Roman date (NHER 45052). Two Roman pottery sherds were recovered from one of two similarly-aligned ditches identified nearby. The third north-to-south aligned ditch was though a much more substantial feature that produced a fragment of post-medieval brick.
Undated features of note included a pit with heat-scorched margins and a dark fill – a sample of which produced material indicative of combustion at extremely high temperatures.
The majority of the discrete features investigated were deemed to be of natural origin.
Information from incomplete draft report uploaded to OASIS, final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2018 and 24 August 2024.

January 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site immediately to south of ambulance station (Plot 11).
The seven trenches excavated revealed a number of linear and discrete features, although unfortunately in the majority of cases little in the way of dating evidence was recovered.
The one convincingly dated feature was a prehistoric pit that produced an assemblage of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery, along with a small number of what were most likely contemporary worked flints. Its main, lower fill also contained a number of burnt flints. Several other probable pits were identified but these were all fairly unremarkable features, none of which produced any finds.
The ditches identified exhibited a range of alignments and it is probably that at least some corresponded with the various linear cropmarks recorded at this location (NHERs 45052, 45056, 45057 and 45058), although in most cases there was some distance between the recorded positions of the cropmarks and the excavated features. It is likely that several of the ditches were post-medieval in date, including a north-to-south aligned feature at the eastern edge of the site that probably corresponds with a field boundary marked on the late 19th-century 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map (which is also represented by one of the cropmarks recorded as NHER 45057). Fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material were also recovered from two other ditches, one of which potentially corresponds with one of a series of linear cropmarks though to represent post-medieval boundaries (NHER 45056). Although it is likely that some of the ditches were associated with preceding phases of activity, earlier finds were limited to a single sherd of probable Beaker pottery and two prehistoric worked flints.
See report (S8) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2012.306).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 2 January 2019. Amended 16 May 2019.

May 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of two additional proposed development sites, one to the south of the area examined in January 2011 (Plot 10) and one to the east (Plots 8).
This work revealed a range of features, including ditches, gullies and pits although none could be convincingly dated as very few finds were recovered. A pit and a curvilinear ditch that both produced fragments of burnt flints were however tentatively interpreted as potentially prehistoric remains. One pit or large post-hole was of probable recent date, producing a small amount of post-medieval/modern pottery and a fragment of post-medieval brick. The other possible pits were all undated and were all fairly unremarkable features with sterile fills.
Although a number of linear cropmarks have been previously recorded in this area (NHERs 45052, 45056, 45057 and 45058) there was little correspondence between these and the excavated features. Although undated the ditches exposed exhibited a range of alignments and were therefore probably associated with multiple phases of activity.
Unstratified finds included a large thumbnail scraper of probable Early Bronze Age date.
See report (S9) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.450).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 6 January 2019.

September 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of two adjacent proposed development areas to north-west of previously examined area (Site 11a; Trenches 32-40 and Site 12; Trenches 41-52).
A number of the trenches excavated were positioned to investigate the linear cropmarks mapped at this location (recorded under NHERs 45052 and 45057), the majority of which were found to have no associated sub-surface remains. The one exception was a north-west to south-east aligned ditch that appears to have coincided with one of an extensive series of cropmarks thought to represent a field system of possible Late Prehistoric or Roman date (NHER 45052). No finds were recovered.
Other features identified included a number of additional ditches that were not associated with previously identified cropmarks, several pits and a post-hole, the majority of which produced no dating evidence. The ditches included two east-to-west aligned features that corresponded with former field boundaries depicted on the late 19th-century 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map (one of which was still extant shortly before this work took place).
The majority of the pits were located close to the square cropmark that had been interpreted as a possible Iron Age square barrow (NHER 45051). There was no sign of any features associated with the cropmarks themselves.
The archive deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum from the May 2011 evaluation (NWHCM : 2011.450) also includes at least some material from this phase of work, including an incomplete report from which the above information was taken. A complete version of this report is awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 September 2019.

March 2014. Trial Trenching.
Additional phase of evaluation at Beacon Park (Site 14; Trenches 19-27).
The nine trenches excavated revealed a range of potentially archaeologically-significant features, the majority of which produced no dating evidence.
Several undated ditches were identified, two of which were possibly associated with previously recorded linear cropmarks. The first was a north-east to south-west aligned feature at TG 5127 0204 that appeared to correspond with one of an extensive group of group of cropmarks thought to represent a field system of possible Late Prehistoric or Roman date (NHER 45056). The second was an east-to-west aligned ditch at TG 5130 0200 that was potentially associated with one of a series of cropmarks likely to represent post-medieval boundaries. Although the trenches coincided with a range of other linear cropmarks (recorded as NHERs 45052, 45056, 45057 and 45058) no surviving sub-surface remains were identified.
Ditches that were not associated with mapped cropmarks included two that corresponded with an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned former field boundary depicted on 19th century maps. These produced pottery of late post-medieval or modern date and fragments of bottle glass and were the only convincingly dated features exposed during this phase of work.
Several other linear features were identified, including three undated curvilinear possible gullies and features interpreted as palaeochannels.
Although a number of possible pits were also identified the only datable find recovered from these predominantly sub-circular features was a presumably residual flint blade of Mesolithic or Early Neolithic date. Another pit was found to contain the partial remains of a neonate calf.
See report (S10) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2019.174)
P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2019.

July 2014. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed route of A12-A143 Link Road (Trench 26).
The single trench excavated in this field revealed an east-to-west aligned ditch. This feature produced several sherds of post-medieval pottery and appears to have been parallel to field boundaries depicted on the late 19th-century 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map.
Although a number of linear cropmarks have been mapped at this location (including north-east to south-west aligned features recorded under NHER 45052 and NHER 45056) no corresponding sub-surface remains were identified.
See report (S11) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 May 2018.

January-July 2015. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of A12-A143 Link Road.
An east-to-west aligned ditch were recorded during the stripping of subsoil from this section of the road corridor. No finds were recovered from this feature.
See report (S12) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2018.

An archive that probably comprises material from both phases of work associated with the A12-A143 Link Road (July 2014 and January-July 2015) has now been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.248).
P. Watkins (HES), 28 June 2021.