NHER 62536 (Monument record) - Early Neolithic pit, potentially medieval ditches and undated pits

December 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of possible development area.
This survey identified no anomalies of clear archaeological significance. Two discrete anomalies detected in the western half of the survey area resemble pits but are more likely to reflect ferrous debris, as are a series of other scattered, discrete anomalies. A sub-circular zone of high magnetism in the north-easternmost part of the field may indicate the presence of burnt remains, although it most likely reflects the presence of an infilled quarry pit (a sand pit being marked at this location on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map).
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 February 2018.

January 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site of proposed new road and associated infrastructure (Trenches 11-24).
The 14 trenches excavated at this site revealed a number of features, the most significant of which was an Early Neolithic pit. This circular, flat-based feature produced 175 Early Neolithic pottery sherds as well as a small assemblage of worked flints likely to be of a similar date. The pottery was predominantly undecorated Plain Bowl, the one exception being a single sherd with Mildenhall ware type decoration. Two adjacent, slightly smaller, circular pits were potentially associated with the same phase of activity also these produced no finds other than a single flint blade of possible Mesolithic or Early Neolithic date. Another sherd of Early Neolithic pottery was recovered from a ditch in a trench to the north, which, although likely to have been residual, nevertheless provides further evidence for Early Neolithic activity in the area.
Ditches were identified in a number of trenches, all of which were aligned either roughly east-to-west or north-to-south. As with similarly-aligned features identified in the field to the east a medieval date is suggested, although finds were limited to a single medieval pottery sherd and a small amount of residual prehistoric material. The east-to-west aligned feature that produced the medieval pottery is one of a pair of intercutting ditches that appear to correspond with a somewhat sinuous cropmark that has previously been mapped at this location (NHER 51937). A number of undated pits were also excavated, the majority of which were unremarkable; the main expections being two features in the northernmost part of the site that both had particularly charcoal-rich fills.
A number of prehistoric worked flints were recovered from unstratified contexts, including several potentially Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flakes and blades, several Neolithic/Bronze Age scrapers and a flake from a Neolithic polished implement.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 February 2018.

January 2017. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of excavation of engineering trial pits in proposed development area (Trial Pits 18-22 and 27-34).
No archaeologically significant features or deposits were exposed.
A crude abandoned flint core of probable Bronze Age or Iron Age date was recovered from a topsoil deposit.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 February 2018.

An archive presumed to comprise material from both phases of work in 2017 has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2019.244).
P. Watkins (HES), 9 December 2022.