NHER 65910 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval and undated remains

October 2017-March 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of site on proposed route of onshore cable for Norfolk Vanguard and Boreas Offshore Wind Farms (Area F67).
This survey identified a range of linear anomalies likely to represent infilled ditches, the majority of which correspond with cropmarks visible on aerial images of this location. These features are all thought to potentially represent elements of a single medieval to post-medieval field system (NHER 12974), although the range of alignments suggest earlier phases of land division may also be represented.
Although numerous discrete patches of magnetic disturbance were recorded these are all thought to be the result of variations in the underlying geology. Scattered dipolar anomalies were probably caused by ferrous material on or close to the surface – most likely modern debris.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 December 2025.

October 2020-June 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed route of onshore cable for Norfolk Vanguard and Boreas Offshore Wind Farms (Areas F154, F155 and F156; Trenches 513-529).
The 17 trenches excavated at this location uncovered numerous ditches, the majority of which were poorly dated. There was a high degree of correlation between these results and the cropmark evidence, with the majority of the mapped features investigated found to be associated with surviving sub-surface remains. Unfortunately the majority of these ditches produced no dating evidence. The one exception was a north-east to south-west aligned feature in the southernmost part of the site (at TG 1662 2723) that was found to contain several medieval/post-medieval brick fragments. This was one of several parallel ditches that almost certainly related to three adjacent, similarly-aligned cropmarks mapped immediately to the east. Many of the excavated ditches had also been identified by the preceding geophysical survey, including several that are not visible as cropmarks but are likely to represent elements of the same field system (such as a north-to-south aligned feature seen at TG 1662 2729).
A roughly east-to-west aligned ditch crossing the northernmost part of the site corresponds with a former field boundary shown on the Blickling tithe map of 1840 (S1).
The various other ditches recorded were all undated, although their diverse alignments suggest they were most likely associated with multiple phases of past activity.
A small number of discrete features were also recorded, including a number of possible pits and two small pits or post-holes. These also produced no dating evidence and most appear to have been fairly unremarkable features with sterile fills. One notable exception was a flat-based pit at TG 1662 2737 with charcoal-fill fills, the uppermost of which also contained fragments of fired clay. A much larger feature at TG 1662 2734 was potentially an extraction pit of some kind.
A possible palaeochannel was also noted in the south-west corner of the site.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 December 2025.