Land at Mercers Farm, Nutfield

Oxford Archaeology South (OAS) was commissioned by Andrew Josephs Ltd, on behalf of J and J Franks Ltd, to undertake an archaeological evaluation of land at Mercers Farm, near Nutfield, Surrey (centred on TQ 3050 5200) ahead of proposed mineral extraction. The work was undertaken between 3rd - 27th January 2012. A total of 94 trenches were excavated across the site. Evidence was found for activity from three main periods: the earliest spanning the late Bronze Age to early Iron Age; medieval agricultural use; and post-medieval activity. In addition, occasional flint artefacts from the Mesolithic to early Neolithic periods were found as residual finds in some of the features. The features of late Bronze Age to early Iron Age date were found largely in the eastern part of the site. Possible settlement sites were identified in the south-east corner and close to a palaeochannel in the north of the site. Occasional isolated features of this date elsewhere across the site may attest to a broader agricultural landscape. There were a number of ditches that probably date to the medieval and postmedieval periods. There is a suggestion that some boundaries may be the remnants of strip fields with a slightly curved form and could represent a medieval field system. The site continued in agricultural use in the post-medieval period and evidence of relatively sophisticated drainage features dating to the early 19th century were recorded.
Year: 
2014
ID: 
2545
Site code text: 
NUFM 11
NGR: 
TQ305520
Organisation: