Woking Park and former Westfield Tip, Woking

Two phases of evaluation by S Mounce of WA in advance of flood protection, landscaping, tip remediation and redevelopment alongside the Hoe Stream. The first phase revealed a significant depth of alluvial deposits, late 19th and early 20th artefacts likely to have been washed up and deposited by the Hoe in a trench closest to the modern course of the stream, but no deposits of archaeological interest. The second phase revealed alluvial layers within all of the trenches, confirming that the site historically lay within the flood plain. Evidence for a 1963 flood was identified in two of the trenches, with a layer of alluvium sealing late 19th–20th century made-ground. Evidence of prehistoric activity was revealed towards the central area of the site, with a likely palaeochannel containing worked and burnt flints of probable Neolithic date located close to three postholes containing, possible in-situ, wooden posts. Alluvial layers within a few areas around these features recorded accumulations of burnt flint that may be the result of natural or deliberate deposition. A further ditch close to these features contained fragments of post-medieval/modern leather, most likely from the sole of a shoe. A number of ditches were also revealed in trenches close by. The majority could not be dated, but two recorded within one trench were cut into the same layer of alluvium and, later covered by another alluvial deposit, with pottery dated from the Early to Middle Iron Age recovered from one. The results of the evaluation indicate the potential of the central area for containing a number of different phases of activity, with earlier phases sealed by alluvial layers caused by the various flooding episodes. Further work was undertaken in 2011.
Year: 
2010
ID: 
2248
NGR: 
TQ006577
Borough: 
Organisation: