NHER 18310 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of possible prehistoric and Roman religious complex

30 June 1982. NAU aerial photography.
Positive cropmarks.
Large circular cropmark.
Smaller circular cropmark inside.
Compiled by S. Norton (NAU), 12 August 1982.

Note position on edge of decoy airfield/searchlight site.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU), 16 August 1982.

October 2013
Cropmarks are visible on aerial photographs from 1982 (S1), 1996 (S2) and recent Google Earth imagery showing a very large ring ditch (c.75 m across) set within a square enclosure with an entrance to the south. The square enclosure appears to cut the ring ditch to the west, indicating it is a later addition. The square enclosure has a clear entrance in the middle of the southern side with an apparent large pit on the interior to the east of the entrance.

Further rectilinear enclosures are visible to the east and west for over 100m in eaither direction. These are aligned on the square enclosure and may be contemporary with it. These cropmarks are cut by modern field boundaries and do not tie in with historic boundaries. However, later linear features appear to cut across the ring ditch. A possible trackway is visible to the south east of the square enclosure, aligned SW-NE.

This appears to be a large prehistoric ring ditch, similar to those seen elsewhere in Norfolk, which has been enclosed and expanded at a later date, possibly in the Roman period. This may have been a religious site within a wider ritual landscape in north east Norfolk. Further linear and ring ditch cropmarks can be seen in the surrounding fields.

This was originally interpreted as a feature associated with the decoy airfield at Suffield (NHER 14980), however the complexity of the features visible on later aerial photographs and the nature of decoy airfields suggests this is unlikely. Finds of a number of Roman coins in the field to the south may support the Roman date and possible significance of the site.
K. Powell (HES), 2 October 2013.