Surrey Archaeological Society

Evaluation by D Graham of SyAS following the report of Roman pottery, perhaps related to the ‘missing’ villa that should be associated with the nearby bath-house structures known at Roman Way, having been found on the site. No features were revealed, with the supposition being that the pottery might have been imported to the site through manuring. (Bulletin 421)

Watching brief by W Weller of SCAU. No finds or features of archaeological significance were revealed.

Watching brief by T Dawson of TVAS. No finds or features of archaeological significance were revealed.

Evaluation by T Munnery of SCAU. No finds or features of archaeological significance were revealed.

Evaluation by J Martin of WA. A small quantity of Bronze Age pottery was recovered from a ditch, while two other ditches produced Early to Middle Iron Age material. Further ditches and a series of postholes were either undated or modern in origin. The sparse nature of the archaeology was not suggestive of concerted settlement. A subsequent metal detector survey of the area produced similarly low-key results, and appeared to confirm the lack of past activity on this large-scale and potentially well-situated site.

Evaluation by R Lambert of SCAU. As was expected, a number of post-medieval burials were revealed, but little else of archaeological significance.

Photographic recording of the interior of the buried walls and foundations of the central tower, and the well shaft within the shell keep, by A Norris and D Graham of SyAS. The structure of the tower no longer survives above ground, with the motte having apparently been raised around the lower storeys of the tower, preserving them for examination. The tower was re-used as a well shaft in the later periods, which has been covered with an unprepossessing concrete slab for some years.

Soil stripping, mapping and sampling by J Warrender of KAP (Kent Archaeological Projects). A single pit containing no dating evidence but characteristic of a modern, probably 20th century, feature was revealed.

Assessment of the ‘scientific’ king post roof by D Yeomans, M Higgins of SCC and R Wild of the Surrey Dendrochronology Project. The roof has been dendro-dated to 1547, making it the earliest example of this roof type in the country by more than half a century, and demonstrates that the gatehouse was remodelled rather than rebuilt in the 18th century as suggested in the listed building description.