NHER 5738 (Monument record) - Mesolithic and Early Neolithic flint working, Late Neolithic hoard, Iron Age/Roman occupation, Roman pottery kilns and Early Saxon features

1952. Stray Find.
Found by R. R. Clarke in area between main railway line and siding to the Two Mile Bottom manure works (Context 1):
1 Mesolithic flint microlith "and flakes". Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1952.136). Information from (S1). These finds are listed in (S2) as 1 microlith and an unspecified number of flakes. The provenance is recorded as "north of Two Mile Bottom works", suggesting that these objects are probably amongst the NCM finds from Two Mile Bottom that are listed in (S3). It is also recorded in (S2) that this collection includes a number of Mesolithic flints from "north of Two Mile Bottom works". These finds are listed as 1 Mesolithic microlith, 5 blades, 2 flakes and 1 burnt stone.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 4 July 2013 and 15 September 2014.

July 1995. Evaluation. Contexts 2-93.
Archaeological evaluation undertaken in response to proposed construction of a biomass-fired power station on and to the north of what was at this time the Marley/Thermalite building materials depot. No initial surface collection was possible due the presence of a thick layer of modern overburden. Because of safety constraints only a small total area of the basal deposits could be exposed. So that any evidence for Mesolithic activity could be identified a number of areas of the original topsoil layer were left in situ during the initial excavation of the trenches, these being subsequently sampled and sieved for artefacts.
The trial trenching showed much of the site to be occupied by very deep disturbances containing modern rubbish. A number of undated features were identified in the undisturbed parts of the site including pits, ditches and a post hole.
A significant number of finds were however recovered, mostly as a result of the sieving. These finds included 660 worked flint and 212 burnt flint 'pot boilers'. The flints recovered included small blades and blade fragments. These combined with the presence of many small chips and spalls suggested that flints were being made on the site (presumably microlithic), although this activity appears to have been widely distributed and of a low intensity. Three retouched microlithic pieces were identified, including a broken microlith and an obliquely-backed bladelet. The only other identifiable tools were two scrapers. Most of the larger debitage was undatable, and it was suggested that it may represent an Early Neolithic rather than a Mesolithic industry. It should however be noted that the large flint assemblage recovered during the subsequent excavation (see below) was predominantly of Mesolithic character.
Other finds included a small assemblage of Roman pottery (79 sherds, mostly from sieved contexts), with the majority of the diagnostic sherds dating from the late 1st to the late 2nd centuries AD.
A single cow or horse bone was also recovered.
See report (S4) for further information. A brief summary of this work also appears in (S5).
E. Rose (NLA), 19 July 1995. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 4 July 2013.

1996. Excavation.
Two areas were chosen for full excavation, each of which measured 40m square.
Over 6000 worked flints were recovered, including numerous pieces of later Mesolithic flint-knapping debris. Much of the Mesolithic debitage was found in situ within a contemporary soil in a concentrated area at the south edge of the southern excavation area. Three hollows in this part of the site were also found to contain large quantities of Mesolithic flint. One of these features, interpreted as a tree-throw hollow, produced over 4500 flints (73% of the total recovered) and had a probable hearth at its centre. It is notable that two-thirds of the flints from this feature were spalls and microblades. The debitage in this and the other stratified contexts appears to have been associated with the production of narrow-backed microliths, a number of incomplete examples of which were recovered. It appears that these microliths were being prepared directly from complete bladelets. The Mesolithic assemblage from this site also included numerous flakes and blades, cores and core trimmings. A single borer, five burins, a notched piece and a serrated flake were also recovered. Other tool types such as scrapers are virtually absent, suggesting a short-term occupation with a narrow non-domestic focus, perhaps a hunting party renewing its armaments. The feature containing a hearth may have been a 'living hollow', but given the large quantities of sharp flint debitage, a preferable interpretation is that it was a 'cold weather working hollow'.
This summary is based on the detailed account of the Mesolithic evidence given in (S6), which also contains a useful overview of the other sites in the Two Mile Bottom area that have produced Mesolithic finds.
As well as Iron Age pits and field boundaries, there was evidence for Iron Age or early Roman occupation including ditches and fifteen pits.
Roman features included three or four Roman pottery kilns, associated with an enclosure, pits, post holes and structures. One of the kilns produced painted white wares dating from the late 3rd to early 4th century, the first evidence of manufacture of this pottery type in Norfolk.
Numerous Early Saxon features were excavated, including a series of pits and a possible sunken-featured building. No Early Saxon remains were previously known from this site. The presence of late Roman and Early Saxon pottery together in a few features was also of interest, suggesting possible continuation of occupation on this site.
See (S7) for further information on the Roman and later evidence from this excavation. A brief summary of this work also appeared in (S8). See also press cutting (S9) in file.
All finds have been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.318).
S. Bates (NAU), 1997 and A. Cattermole (NLA), 10 July 2008.

1996 or afterwards. Stray Find.
Found by member of the public [1] during construction of "large chicken-muck store" at Fibrewatt Power Station at "2-3 metres depth under mainly sand/gravel deposit":
Quantity of Late Neolithic flint artefacts believe to represent some form of hoard.
The items retained by the finder include 3 bifaces, 3 discoidal knives (one formed on a second removal from a Levallois core), 2 flake knives, 1 retouched flake, 2 unmodified flakes and 1 flint hammerstone.
Other items were seen but not collected and one ovate/flat-butted biface was apparently retained by the site foreman. It appears that items may also have been collected by other site workers.
These finds were reported to the Suffolk Museum Service before being seen by P. Robins (NCM) - see descriptions, drawings (S10) to (S13), Suffolk record sheet and copy of finder's notes in file. The hoard is described in detail in (S14) (in which the drawings are reproduced) and also noted in (S15) and (S8).
E. Rose (NLA), 14 March 2000. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 February 2019.

October 2010. Norfolk NMP.
Some of the ditches excavated here, in area F (S7) have been recognised on aerial photographs, and recorded as part of a larger earthwork site (NHER 54503).
E. Bales (NMP), 18 Oct 2010.

One of the Roman kilns excavated in 1996 was lifted intact and then left in a Forestry Commission compound at Santon Downham, where it remained for 20 years. This is technically part of the site archive (NWHCM : 1999.318) and therefore owned by Norwich Castle Museum. When examined by Norwich Castle Museum staff in June 2017 it was found to be standing outside, with its protective covering of plywood in a poor, disintegrating condition.
Further assessment was planned but it is unclear whether this took place. The present location of the kiln is also unknown.
Information from museum records.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 July 2019.