NHER 36508 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of medieval to post medieval road and enclosures

28 June 1996. NLA air photography.
Cropmarks visible of a wide trackway or road, with a co-joined enclosure and a series of angular positive anomalies, which may relate to position of previously standing structures. Site is to south of RAF Neatishead (NHER 31218) and these features may relate to activity on the radar base. 1946 RAF photographs indicate a track leading to a building in the field, although it is not the trackway visible as cropmarks. These may relate to Cold War expansion of the site. However the proximity of the RAF radar station may be coincidental, and this trackway and enclosures may be much earlier, possibly medieval in date.
S. Massey (NLA), 17 September 2001.

8 July 1996. NLA air photography.
Cropmarks previously recorded visible.
H. Clare (NLA), 26 October 2001.

November 2006. Norfolk NMP
Cropmarks of a medieval to post medieval road and associated enclosures are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S3). The central grid reference for these cropmarks has been amended from TG 3458 1840 to TG 3454 1834. Two parallel ditch cropmarks extend for up to 660m on a southwest to northeast alignment between TG 3430 1814 and TG 3479 1857. They define a road or lane which widens as it joins the modern line of Bird Lane along the Horning and Neatishead parish boundary. A trapezoidal enclosure or field lies in the angle formed by the cropmark road and the modern road to its north. A large pit cropmark, probably a quarry for roadbuilding, lies adjacent to the road at TG 3466 1847.

The line of this road corresponds to a linear area of land marked on the 1818 Horning enclosure map (S4). The southwestern part of the area is labelled as being owned by Charles Grymes whilst the northeastern end adjacent to Bird Lane was labelled as ‘Silkholmes Lease’. Although it is enclosed this linear landholding has the appearance of a former road and appears to be shown as such on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S5). The southern part of the landholding remained in use as a right of way after enclosure and joined a track leading eastwards from TG 3450 1823. Bryant’s 1826 county map (S6) shows both the southern part of the landholding and the track leading to the east.

It is likely that the road represented by the cropmarks is of medieval to early post medieval date. It is possible that it existed as common land and joined an area of common along the Horning and Neatishead parish boundary that is shown on Faden’s map (S5). Other cropmarks some of which relate to post medieval field boundaries are present to the southeast of the former road (NHER 45268). Although some structures associated with the RAF radar base immediately to the north (NHER 31218) were located in this area, none of the cropmarks are related to it.
J. Albone (NMP), 24 November 2006