NHER 27905 (Monument) - Earthwork of medieval or post medieval saltern

July 2003. Norfolk NMP.
The mound appears as a large sub-rounded area of lighter coloured soil or parching (S1) on the reclaimed saltmarsh that was the former east bank of the River Great Ouse. The mound has a maximum north to south length of 225m and a maximum width of 150m, although it may have been levelled or altered from its original form. The western side of the mound is defined by a narrow saltmarsh channel (S1) and to the immediate east of this is mound NHER 27904. This is probably a medieval saltern mound made up from the waste sand discarded after the salt had been filtered out, through a process known as sand washing. These features form part of a dense concentration of saltern mounds located along the saltmarsh in North and South Wootton. However, this particular mound is one of only a few that lie on the western, seaward side of the Post-medieval bank NHER 5528. It is possible that this is a Post-medieval mound, formed after the construction of the bank, although it is suggested that this is not the case.
M. Brennand (NMP), 1 July 2003.

May and August 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of large proposed development area to east of Estuary Farm.
This survey identified no obvious traces of this mound. It is though noted that the survey was hampered by the presence of 'green waste' in these fields, which was associated with a dense spread of magnetic disturbance. The recorded position of this mound does appear to correspond with an area of slightly elevated ground visible in visualised LiDAR data for the site (reproduced in the report for the subsequent trial trenching), although this is much less pronounced than the surviving earthworks associated with saltern mounds recorded to the east.
Information from draft report. See NHERs 68891 and 68892 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2025.

September-October 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development area to east of Estuary Farm.
Two of the trenches excavated at this location encountered a crumbly orangey brown silt beneath the topsoil that potentially represented the remnants of a saltern mound. This material does though appear to have been largely sterile and the adjacent trenches revealed only natural alluvial clays and silts.
Information from draft report. See NHERs 68891 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2025.