NHER 26794 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Post-medieval earthwork bank

January 2001. NMP.
A stretch of earthwork bank about 1km long running north to south, is visible between 7647 4425 - TF 7674 4509 on 1945 aerial photographs (S1). It is of similar character to NHER 26783, which adjoins it and NHER 26777. The location suggests that it is some kind of sea defence. It can also be seen on 1972 aerial photographs (S2). A feature on the same alignment as this bank is depicted on Faden's 1797 map of this area (S3), enclosing an area of land marked 'drained'. It is therefore very likely that this bank is some form of sea defences connected with land reclamation - a process started in the post medieval period at this site. The bank is also depicted as an earthwork on the 1905 OS map (S4).
A. Hunt (NMP), 31 January 2001.

September 2014. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of work to repair breach in flood bank at TF 7648 4451.
A single stepped section across the bank was recorded during this work. The lowest deposit was a mid orangey brown silty clay that presumably represented the core of the earliest bank. This was overlain by a dark, fairly organic deposit likely to represent a former ground surface. The top of this layer was at c.3.8m OD, approximately 1.2m above the present ground level on the landward side of the bank. This deposit was sealed by a firm mid brown silt clay, above which another thin deposit likely to represent a former ground surface was visible. The height of the bank had then been further raised by the deposition of a light orangey brown clayey sand. All of the remaining deposits were of modern date.
No dating evidence was recovered but it is possible that the heightening of the bank took place following the more dramatic flooding events, such as those known to have occurred in 1897, 1949 and 1953.
See report (S5) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2022.113).
P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2022. Amended 6 December 2022.