NHER 61125 (Monument record) - Poorly-dated post-holes, pits and ditches

2004-2005. Desk-based Assessment.
Archaeological assessment of western route options for Norwich Northern Distributor Road.
See reports (S1) and (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 July 2019.

April 2012-April 2013. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Blocks 10 and 11).
This survey revealed little clear evidence for sub-surface archaeological remains. Although a range of anomalies were detected these were thought to be of predominantly agricultural or geological origin. A number of discrete dipolar anomalies are typical of the responses caused by modern ferrous debris.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 August 2015.

April-August 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Field D2-3).
The 15 trenches excavated at this location revealed only a small number of dispersed undated features, the majority of which were ditches.
The finds recovered was all prehistoric in date and were mostly either unstratified or likely to have been residual within later features. These included single worked flints of Mesolithic/Early Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age-Iron Age date and several later Iron Age pottery sherds.
The majority of the ditches were aligned either north-east to south-west or north-west to south-east and therefore parallel with or perpendicular to the extant field boundaries. This would suggest that they were associated with a much more recent phase of activity, although the absence of post-medieval and modern finds is notable. None of these ditches had been detected by the preceding geophysical survey.
Other features of note included a line of three substantial post-holes in the northern corner of the site. A sample from one of these post-holes was found to contain fragments of calcinated bone, although these were too small to identify.
Also of possible interest was a spread of burnt material exposed in one of the westernmost trenches. This deposit contained burnt flints and an environmental sample produced a small amount of cereal grain and microscopic flakes of shiny ferrous material. Burnt flint was also recovered from a probable tree-throw hollow in an adjacent trench.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 May 2019.

January-September 2016. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of two small areas on route of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Areas 2a and 2b), both of which were positioned to target specific remains identified during the preceding trial trenching.
One of the excavation areas (Area 2a) was positioned over the deposit of burnt material that had been observed in the western corner of the field. Although a fairly extensive spread of material was exposed it does not appear to have contained significant amounts of burnt material and finds were limited to a small amount of burnt flint and a single post-medieval pottery sherd. This deposit was truncated by another north-east to south-west aligned ditch.
The second excavation area (Area 2b) was positioned to investigate the line of post-holes exposed in the northern corner of the site. Although seven additional possible post-holes of varying size were identified there was little regularity to their arrangement, suggesting that they were probably not associated with any form of substantial structure. Two sherds of later Iron Age pottery were recovered from one of these features.
A number of possible pits were investigated in both excavation areas, although these were all contained fairly unremarkable single fills and finds were limited to a single post-medieval tile fragment.
Information from draft assessment report. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 May 2019.