NHER 58190 (Monument record) - Features associated with World War Two military activity at the Family Life Church, Heartsease Lane

August 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site of proposed new church.
Relatively few archaeological features were identified, all of which were most likely associated with the site’s known use as both a military training ground and a Prisoner of War Camp (NHER 51904) during the Second World War. The remains investigated included the linear footings for at least two corrugated iron temporary structures. A large pit exposed in the easternmost trench was found to contain large amounts of modern demolition debris, this feature being immediately backfilled due to the presence of asbestos tiles. Black deposits that also contained asbestos tile were identified across much of the trench, indicative of fairly extensive modern disturbance in this part of the site. Apart from a single fragment of post-medieval ceramic building material all finds recovered during this work were of modern date. These objects included an unexploded smoke bomb, which provided clear evidence for the use of this site as a training area.
See report (S1) for further information.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.651).
P. Watkins (HES), 18 October 2012. Amended 16 May 2019.