NHER 51942 (Monument record) - Multi-phase linear cropmarks, possible field boundaries and trackway

November 2008. Norfolk NMP.
A series of multi-phase linear ditches were visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1)-(S4), centred at TG 2905 1118. While none of the mapped features correspond exactly with the field boundaries shown on the historic map (S5), it is clear that at least one ditch in the southeast of the site (running southwest from TG2940 1125) is very close to the line of a post medieval field boundary. Many of the other features appear to respect these boundaries also, and a medieval to post medieval date has therefore been attributed to them.

It is clear, though, that these features represent more than one phase of activity, and the faint pair of parallel ditches running northwest-southeast which cut the possible Iron Age to Roman enclosure (NHER 51940), appear to be cut in turn by a later ditch which is closer to the line of the post medieval field boundaries.

A possible trackway has also been identified on the east side of the site, made up of a pair of parallel ditches, approximately 5m apart. This feature also appears to be cut by at least one ditch that may belong to the later phase of the site. See (S6) in file.
E. Bales (NMP), 18 November 2008.

March-June 2009. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Site G4).
Although the area examined coincided with a number of the linear cropmarks mapped at this location no corresponding anomalies were identified.
It should however be noted that subsequent trial trenching identified surviving sub-surface remains associated with both of the cropmarks that cross the area examined (see below).
See report (S7) and NHER 63452 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 August 2015. Amended 16 June 2019.

April-August 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Fields G4 and G5).
The area examined to the north of Oaks Farm (Field G4) coincided with two of the cropmarks in this group, both of which were found to be associated with surviving sub-surface remains.
The east-north-east to west-south-west aligned cropmark at TG 2881 1129 was associated with a ditch that produced a single sherd of medieval pottery. Medieval pottery was also recovered from the ditch that corresponded with the north-east to south-west cropmark at TG 2881 1109, although this feature also produced a range of post-medieval finds, including brick and tile fragments and bottle glass. A similarly-aligned ditch identified a little way to the north produced sherds of early post-medieval pottery. Overall the limited evidence recovered at this location would appear to support the suggestion that at least a proportion of these cropmarks represent field boundaries of medieval to post-medieval date.
Work in the field to the south (Field G5) saw the excavation of a trench immediately to the south of the north-to-south aligned cropmark running between TG 2847 1080 and TG 2849 1052. No features were identified, indicating that any associated ditch terminates at the point suggested by the cropmark.
See report (S8) and NHERs 62532 and 63452 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 July 2019.