NHER 64837 (Monument record) - Post-medieval and undated pits and ditches

May 2017. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area close to White House Farm.
This study concluded that this land had a low/moderate potential to contain archaeological remains of Late Prehistoric to modern date.
All of the available cartographic sources show this particular site as part of the Sprowston Hall park (NHER 30522).
No archaeologically- or historically-significant features were noted during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 April 2021.

March 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Detailed magnetometer survey of proposed develop site (Field 1).
Potentially archaeologically-significant responses included a cluster of linear positive in the central part of the site that potentially represent infilled ditches. Several of the discrete anomalies were also identified as possible pits.
Other responses included various linear anomalies of probable agricultural origin. Various discrete dipolar anomalies most likely represent ferrous objects in the topsoil, although it is noted that these can also indicate the presence of thermoremnant features such as kilns or furnaces.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 April 2021.

November 2018. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site (Area A).
The seven trenches excavated at this site (Trenches 1-7) revealed a number of pits and ditches, at least some of which appeared to correspond with the previously identified geophysical anomalies.
The datable finds were all post-medieval and mostly recovered from a cluster of features in the south-east corner of the site. These included a pit that was found to contain a large number of early post-medieval bricks, along with tiles of probably similar date and fragments of dressed oolitic limestone. The date and nature of this material suggests that it could well represent debris from nearby Sprowston Hall (NHER 8159). The hall was built of red brick during the 16th-century and is known to have been rebuilt during the late 19th century. Similar fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material were also recovered from three nearby roughly north-east to south-west aligned ditches, two of which probably corresponded with linear geophysical anomalies thought to have been of agricultural origin. The easternmost, most substantial, ditch corresponds with a boundary shown on the Sprowston tithe map of 1843 (S2) and also produced a fragment of English Stoneware pottery. Several iron strip fragments of uncertain date were recovered from another of the ditches.
The majority of the ditches and pits revealed elsewhere produced little or no dating evidence. These undated features included north-east to south-west and east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditches in the central part of the site that probably corresponded with two of the linear geophysical anomalies. A north-west to south-east aligned ditch exposed at the eastern end of the site potentially represented a continuation of the feature associated with the sinuous longest anomaly. This ditch produced a post-medieval brick similar to those recovered from features to the south.
The undated pits were also fairly unremarkable features.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.12).
P. Watkins (HES), 7 April 2021. Amended 8 December 2022.