NHER 64847 (Monument record) - Medieval and undated remains

July 2016. Desk-based Assessment.
Heritage Statement produced to support a planning application for a residential development that would see the demolition of farm buildings and the retention and conversion of a single barn.
It is noted that the site lies within an historic landscape, adjacent to Hall Farmhouse, which is listed Grade II (NHER 11786) and close to both Gayton Hall (NHER 46883) and St Nicholas’ Church (NHER 3770).
Of the various farm buildings shown on the Gayton tithe map of 1839 (S1), those that are still extant are a long roadside barn at TF 7298 1907 and another barn to the north-west of the farmhouse at TF 7298 1907. The former was converted to residential use as part of a previous development and the later is the building proposed for conversion as part of the scheme in question (NHER 64848). The majority of the farm buildings proposed for demolition are modern sheds of no historical interest. The exception is an 'L'-shaped arrangement of buildings at TF 7299 1910 (NHER 64849) that were added at some time between 1839 and the publication of the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map in 1884 (S2). These comprise a brick and pantile stable block and an adjacent flint storage building with a loft.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 April 2021.

February-March 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site of proposed residential development, following demolition of various farm buildings.
The nine trenches excavated revealed remains of limited archaeological significance. The small number of features recorded included two large hollows, one of which was of some limited interest due to the range of finds that it produced. What appeared to be a primary fill produced sherds of Roman and Middle Saxon pottery, while its upper fill produced sherds of Late Saxon, early medieval and high medieval date, along with fragments of animal bone and an oyster shell. It is unclear exactly what processes resulted in such a mixed assemblage, but presumably much of the pottery was already present in the soil when the feature was dug, presumably at some point during or after that 12th century.
Although a number of linear and discrete features were recorded elsewhere these were all undated and in many cases of uncertain nature. Some were potentially natural features, while others may have been the results of relevant recent activity on the site.
Unstratified finds were limited to a single Roman pottery sherd and a small amount of animal bone.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2018.241).
P. Watkins (HES), 12 April 2021. Amended 3 July 2021.