NHER 53220 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Possible Roman temple

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
A possible circular structure, tentatively identified as a Roman temple may be visible on aerial photographs (S1-S2) alongside the line of a major Roman road (NHER 53218 and 52298) which runs across the former Poringland Heath and joining with the Roman road to Ditchingham at Brooke to the southeast. The northwestern end of this road links with the Roman road (NHER 30288) running east from the Roman town of Venta Icenorum. The site is centred on TG 2669 0060.
The cropmarks are located in an area of irregular geological cropmarks and may in part also be of this origin. At TG 2669 0060 is a circular pit-like cropmark, 8m in diameter. This would appear to be surrounded by a parchmark, potentially signifying a former bank, wall or compacted surface, up to 2m across. The archaeological nature and significance of this feature is extremely uncertain and may relate to underlying geological deposits or be the remains of a pit. These cropmarks have been recorded due to their possible relationship with the Roman road NHER 53218, to the immediate east. Given the possible relationship between this feature and a relatively major road, part of NHER 52298, the road from Caistor to Brooke and Stone Street, it is possible that this represents the remains of a Roman roadside temple.
This circular feature appears to partially overlie another parchmark, which was initially interpreted as representing the remains of a former road and/or field boundary that could also have been Roman or medieval to post medieval in date. However it was later decided that the parchmark was more likely to be geological in origin and was omitted from the mapping. However, it must be noted that a post medieval field boundary, depicted on the 1838 West Poringland and Howe Tithe map (S3), lines up with the eastern end of this parchmark. It is therefore feasible that the features do relate to former field boundaries and that the circular feature may represent the remains of post a medieval pit positioned along the edge of a field.
S. Horlock (NMP), 05 November 2009.