NHER 69557 (Monument record) - Post-medieval drain and World War Two-era ditch

February-June 2022. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of single-storey extension at south-west corner of existing late 18th-century stable block (NHER 45516).
The site was shown to have been previously stripped, with a well-mixed levelling layer lying directly above the natural geological deposits. This material had almost certainly been lain down during the construction of the adjacent stable block. The brick-built vaulted drain crossing the site was also contemporary with the stable block.
The only other feature of note was a steep-sided ditch with a sharp 'dog leg'. There was no evidence to suggest this ditch had lain open for any great length of time, being largely filled with a loose deposit of ash and coal waste that contained a considerable quantity of 1940s rubbish. Of particular interest were fragments of four NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) mugs – linking this debris to activity during World War Two, when it is known that American troops were billeted at the hall. It is suggested the ditch probably formed part of a perimeter boundary, presumably in conjunction with an associated bank. The other finds recovered from this feature included beer bottles, preserve jars, curtain rings, a door knob, toothpaste and shaving cream tubes, Brylcreem bottles and fragments of a ceramic washbowl.
Unstratified finds recovered from the excavated spoil included a retouched flint flake of Late Neolithic/Bronze Age date, part of an 18th-century drinking glass and three post-medieval lead weights for sash windows.
See report (S1) for further details, including a detailed catalogue of the 1940s finds.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 October 2025.