Roman

Land north of Malthouse Farm, Benner Lane, West End

Evaluation and subsequent excavation of four areas by S Wilson of COT. Evidence was revealed for a small rural settlement dating from the Middle–Late Iron Age that comprised at least two roundhouses with associated four-post structures. The site appeared to be unenclosed but ditches and trackways suggest that it was sited in a managed landscape. Charred plant assemblages indicate a rural settlement with domestic activities, including a small amount of crop processing taking place in the vicinity.

90–106 High Street, Staines-upon-Thames

Evaluation and excavation by M Edmunds, A Haslam and P Jorgenson of PCA carried out prior to and following the demolition of the former shops and residences fronting the High Street (Historic Building Recording: SyAC 101, 222). Staines-upon-Thames is located above a series of low-lying gravel islands within the flood plain of the middle Thames valley, on the north bank of the river Thames at its confluence with the braided tributary channels of the rivers Colne and Wraysbury.

Land east of Hawthorn Road, Staines-upon-Thames

Evaluation by I Hogg of ASE revealed a series of north-east/south-west aligned Roman ditches, one of which had an associated fence line running along the ditch bottom. This feature probably dates to the 1st century AD and stratigraphic evidence suggests that there was at least one, and possibly two, additional phases of similarly aligned boundary ditches at the site. A modest assemblage of finds suggest that the ditches may have been associated with a nearby settlement and one pit produced a fairly large quantity of hammerscale, indicative of smithing activity in the area.

Church Meadow, Ewell

A magnetometer survey led by N Cowlard of EEHAS identified a linear anomaly, possibly a ditch, perpendicular to and intersecting the previously recorded east roadside ditch of the Roman road Stane Street (SyAC 101, 214). A number of further linear anomalies were recorded to the south of Stane Street.

Charlwood

Excavation and test pitting by R Hooker of SyAS, following on from two previous seasons (SyAC 101, 219), confirmed the existence of a series of ditches and further revealed their extent. Three parallel ditches oriented approximately north-east/south-west, two of which are in excess of 40m long, may form the southern boundary of an enclosure, a theory supported by the discovery of a north–south oriented ditch to their west and an apparent lack of any archaeological features to its west.

Cocks Farm villa, Abinger

Further excavation by the Roman Studies Group of SyAS, directed by E Corke and D Bird to the north-east of the Scheduled Roman villa, recorded considerable quantities of unstratified Mesolithic and Neolithic struck flint from across the site. A possible Bronze Age barrow ditch and two adjacent pits, again of probable Bronze Age date and thought to represent inhumations where no bone has survived, were also revealed. Iron Age features in the form of a curvilinear enclosure ditch and a number of pits were recorded.

Ewell Grove School, West Street, Ewell

Watching brief by W Weller of SCAU showed the site to have been severely disturbed. However, a large ditch of probable Roman date was observed close to the main school building and is possibly a continuation of ditches excavated by S S Frere in 1939 and 1940 (SyAC 48, 45–60). A compacted chalk layer, which may represent a courtyard area between buildings noted on the Ewell Enclosure Map of 1803, was also recorded. A quantity of worked flint of Mesolithic, Neolithic and later Bronze Age date was recovered, indicating activity during these periods within the vicinity.

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