NHER 64591 (Monument record) - Early Iron Age features

May 2007. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of proposed extension to Holt Quarry.
This study concluded that the impact was potentially limited, although it is noted that prehistoric remains could well be present given the topographical setting of the site.
Nothing of interest was observed during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

September 2010. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 1a).
A report on this phase of work is awaited so it is unclear at present whether anything of archaeological significance was recorded.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

June 2011. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 1a).
A report on this phase of work is awaited so it is unclear at present whether anything of archaeological significance was recorded.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

May 2012. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 1b).
A report on this phase of work is awaited so it is unclear at present whether anything of archaeological significance was recorded.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

September 2012. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 1b).
Two features were recorded - an Early Iron Age pit and a single ditch of probable post-medieval date.
A total of 179 earlier Iron Age pottery sherds were recovered from the charcoal-rich fill of the pit, many of which were burnt and abraded. It is therefore likely that this feature had contained redeposited hearth debris and midden material. This suggestion is supported by the fact that a sample taken from the fill of the pit was found to contain charcoal with a weathered appearance - indicative of exposure to the elements prior to deposition. Other charred plant macrofossils were limited to small numbers of barley and wheat grains and some wheat chaff elements.
The east-to-west aligned ditch produced no finds but was parallel to a former field boundary depicted on 19th-century maps and therefore thought to be of relatively recent date.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

September 2013. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 1b).
The only feature observed was a continuation of the ditch recorded the previous year. It again produced no finds.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

October 2015. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 2).
No archaeologically significant features or deposits exposed.
See summary report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

October 2015. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phases 3 and 4).
No archaeologically significant features or deposits exposed.
See summary report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

An archive associated with the phases of work undertaken between September 2010 and October 2016 has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.553).

June 2017. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 4).
A report on this phase of work is awaited so it is unclear at present whether anything of archaeological significance was recorded.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

April, May and November 2018. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction (Phase 5).
A report on this phase of work is awaited so it is unclear at present whether anything of archaeological significance was recorded.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.

July 2019. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping from part of site ahead of aggregate extraction.
Truncated features of possible prehistoric date investigated [1].
Report awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 February 2021.