Surrey Archaeological Society

Evaluation by S P Dyer for SCAU and Estates and General Developments PLC. No finds of earlier than the 18th century were recovered. (265)

Further evaluation of the interior of the scheduled hillfort by G N Hayman for SCAU and English Heritage, to decide whether re-afforestation should be allowed. A number of pits and a ditch were found; the finds largely consisted of late IA pottery, with occasional Roman period sherds. (259; see report in SyAC 94, 191-207)

Resistivity survey and watching brief of proposed car park and access road by S P Dyer for SCAU and SCC, assisted by members of the SyAS Historic Landscape Survey team. Remnants of earlier ploughing were the only features observed, no finds were recovered.

Watching brief on the construction of a garage, by S P Dyer for SCAU. No features of archaeological interest were observed. (265)

A date was received from the Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit for one of the pieces of worked wood found in 1987: 1180±95 BP (OxA-3166), suggesting a mid to late Saxon date. The function of the wood remains so far unexplained. (see report in SyAC 88, 333-336)

Notes by C W Atkins correct mistakes in the published version of Aubrey's Natural history and antiquities of Surrey where it refers to the Parley Heath Romano-Celtic temple. They include details of the rough measurements of the temple and make clear that an odd-sounding reference to Roman tiles is in fact to no more than standard tegulae. (255). An anti-traveller trench dug across part of the temenos area was examined by Judie English and nothing of archaeological interest was noted.

Evaluation by G N Hayman for SCAU and G U Projects, on behalf of the North Surrey Water Co, prior to reservoir enlargement. Two large pit-like features were found, cut by a modern trench so that only one edge of these features was uncovered. Their fill was disturbed chalk and contained a number of Roman sherds of the 2nd century AD. It is thought that the site could represent chalk quarrying activity.

Observation of redevelopment and salvage excavation by J Boas for Guildford Museum recorded a general scatter of post-medieval pottery and two features cut into the natural chalk. The first was a large irregular pit constructed of rough chalk blocks, thought likely to be a cess pit in the stable area of the Three Tuns Inn. It contained a large amount of material dated to 1690-1720, including many more or less complete vessels and a great number of high class goblets. The second feature was a well which contained a large group of medieval pottery provisionally dated 1175-1250. (258).

Work continued on the research/training excavation by R J Poulton for SCAU, SyAS, the Society of Antiquaries and others. The excavation of a section of the bailey ditch was completed. A well-preserved tile kiln was uncovered, its last firing archaeomagnetically dated to AD 1220-1270 at the 95% confidence level. Presumably the tiles produced were used in roofing the earliest palace buildings. (262; 266; see Guildford Castle monograph)