NHER 21762 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of possible Roman villa or temple complex

24 July 1975. Aerial photography.
Cropmarks noted on (S1).
E. Rose (NAU) 8 October 1985.

Double-ditched, square enclosure cutting/cut by a smaller square single-ditched enclosure and trackway.
D. Edwards (NAU) 6 December 1985.

Photos seen and accurately plotted E Rose (NAU) 7 December 1988.

June 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a possible Roman villa or similar high status domestic site are visible on aerial photographs to the southeast of Beighton village (S1-S3). An alternative interpretation as a temple complex has also been suggested. The site is located on a slight spur of higher land to the north of an extensive planned Roman landscape (NHER 6096). The site appears to overlie an earlier enclosure and field system, which is likely to be Bronze Age – Iron Age in date and has been recorded separately (NHER 49645). A 1st-2nd century Roman coin has been found within the general area of this site (NHER 28691).

The enclosure is roughly square in shape and measures 123m by 133m. The site is defined by two broad ditches along much of the circuit, although some areas of the enclosure ditches are obscured by geological cropmarks. Where clearly visible the ditches are approximately 10m apart and 2-3m wide. Some evidence of internal subdivisions was identified, although perhaps not as many as one would expect with a villa site, although again this is in part due to the interior being partially obscured with geological features. This possible lack of internal divisions could suggest an alternative interpretation for the site as potentially representing a temple complex. Further work on this site, such as additional aerial photographic reconnaissance or geophysics, will be required to gain a clearer understanding of the function of this large enclosure.

A number of boundary ditches and a possible trackway, all following the same alignment as the main enclosure, are visible to the north of the site and these are likely to be contemporary with the site.
S. Massey (NMP), 28 June 2007.

January 2022. Broads Hidden Heritage: Aerial Perspectives.
Additional linear cropmarks potentially relating to the site of the Roman villa or temple complex described above are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (S4). Like other linear ditches mapped in the vicinity, they may represent outlying field boundaries or similar features. The possibility that some or all of the features relate instead to the potentially earlier, Bronze Age or Iron Age, group of cropmarks identified in the same area (NHER 49645) cannot be ruled out, so both sites have been extended to incorporate the additional cropmarks.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council, Historic Environment Service), 18 January 2022.