NHER 60787 (Monument record) - Potentially Late Iron Age/Roman rectilinear enclosure and associated remains

August 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of proposed development site (Area 2; Trenches 1-8).
Archaeologically-significant remains were only recorded in two of the eight trenches excavated at this location, both of which lay at the southern end of the site. Here four ditches were recorded, three of which were potentially broadly contemporary being aligned either north-to-south or east-to-west. One of the north-to-south aligned ditches produced two sherds of Iron Age pottery and three presumably residual worked flints of probable Neolithic date. No other finds were recovered from these features. A fourth, north-east to south-west aligned linear feature also produced no dating evidence.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.582).
The results of trenching across the remainder of the proposed development area are now recorded under NHERs 66847 and 66848.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 4 April 2023.

March-April 2019. Excavation.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation saw the excavation of a relatively large area positioned to target the remains revealed at the southern end of the site by the preceding trial trenching (Area 2).
This work exposed part of a large rectilinear enclosure, within which were a range of what are presumed to have been broadly contemporary features. As few finds were recovered the dating of these remains is currently uncertain, although it appears they were most likely associated with a Late Iron Age to Roman phase of activity. This would make them contemporary with a concentration of Late Iron Age to Roman remains identified during work to the south (see NHER 66848).
The enclosure measured 50m by at least 25m – its full extent being uncertain as its southern side lay beyond the excavated area. Its northern and eastern sides were aligned east-to-west and north-to-south respectively, with the latter appearing to terminate within the excavation area - suggesting the presence of an entrance at this point. The ditch forming the western side of the enclosure was aligned north-north-west to south-south-east and continued beyond the north-west corner of the enclosure, suggesting it had formed part of a larger field system. It was this ditch that had been found to contain Iron Age pottery during the preceding trenching. Finds from the enclosure ditches were largely limited to single sherds of Late Iron Age/early Roman and Roman pottery. One section was also found to contain several post-medieval pottery sherds, although these all came from an upper fill close to an area of disturbed ground and were therefore thought to be intrusive. Features within the enclosure included a small rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 4.75m by 3.75m, the northern side of which was formed by the northern side of the main enclosure. Other features likely to be contemporary with the larger enclosure included two small ring-ditches, one continuous and approximately 5m in diameter and the other of similar size but penannular in form with a small gap in its western side. A pair of intercutting pits lay within the latter, one of which contained a fragment of heavily burnt animal bone. A number of other pits were recorded elsewhere, the majority of which lay within the main enclosure, suggesting that most, if not all, were associated with the same phase of activity. Many appear to have been fairly unremarkable, although samples taken from the fills of several were found to contain large to moderate amounts of wood charcoal.
Information from draft assessment report. Final reports awaited.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2019.257).
P. Watkins (HES), 4 April 2023.