NHER 68179 (Monument record) - Early Bronze Age pit, post-medieval and undated ditches and probable post-medieval quarry pit

February 2023. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of proposed development.
This study identified that a possible ring-ditch visible on aerial photographs of this field (NHER 11716) actually coincides with a deep semi-circular depression marked on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch map (S1). This was most likely the remains of a quarry pit, perhaps one dug to provide ballast during the construction of the adjacent railway line. It is noted that this feature is visible as a circular depression on recent LiDAR imagery and that it was also identified during a site visit undertaken as part of the study.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 March 2024.

October-November 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The 41 trenches excavated revealed only a small number of scattered linear and discrete features. By far the most significant was a sub-circular pit of probable prehistoric date exposed at the southern end of the site. This pit contained several pottery sherds likely to be from an Early Bronze Age Collared Urn, a small assemblage of potentially contemporary worked flints, fragments of fired clay and a fire-cracked quartzite pebble.
Three ditches were identified, including two west-north-west to east-south-east aligned features that corresponded with linear cropmarks visible on aerial photograph (both part of a group of probable post-medieval field boundaries recorded as NHER 52080). The northernmost of these ditches contained a residual late medieval/early post-medieval pottery sherd and a range of later finds, including a post-medieval pottery sherd, post-medieval to modern pantile fragments and a post-medieval or modern copper alloy harness fitting. Single fragments of animal bone and slag were also recovered from this feature. The third ditch was a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned feature that produced no dating evidence.
Although the excavated trenches coincided with a number of other linear cropmarks (including features recorded under NHER 52079 and 52080) none were found to be associated with surviving sub-surface remains.
Three of the trenches were positioned to investigate the large circular cropmark feature at TG 2210 0163 that had initially been identified a possible Bronze Age ring ditch (NHER 11716). As noted above it is now recognised that this feature appears to correspond with a large probable pit shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch map (S1). The trenching confirmed the presence of a large circular depression, the fill of which contained a significant amount of modern debris, including Victorian drainpipe, steel reinforcing bar and tarmac. Although described as a probable natural hollow it remains most likely that this was an infilled quarry pit.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2023.243).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 March 2024.