Surrey Archaeological Society

Report by H Davies on recording work carried out during building restoration. A group of rafters from the church tower have been dated by dendrochronology to between 1497 and 1522. (289)

Evaluation by G Pattison of SCAU, on behalf of Ashbourne Homes plc. Previous levelling had removed any archaeological deposits that may once have existed.

Evaluation by G Hayman of SCAU, on behalf of Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd, in advance of works associated with the M25 widening scheme. Trial trenching revealed a gully and two ditches, probably former field boundaries, all of which contained modern material.

A watching brief by J Robertson of SCAU for Brown & Root Ltd on ground works did not reveal evidence of archaeological features or finds.

Excavation by J Pine of TVAS for Fairclough Homes, in advance of redevelopment, revealed medieval pits, postholes and gullies and a late medieval well. The pottery from these features has been dated to the 12th to 13th centuries. Pottery from the 17th to 18th century was also recovered. Two near complete articulated pig skeletons were found in purpose-dug pits. (301); see report in SyAC 90, 261-271

Research excavation by S Dyer for SyAS of part of the Roman villa partially excavated in the 1870s. A total of five rooms were revealed, two of which were excavated to floor level. In one of these rooms the floor was found to be constructed of chalk mixed with crushed tile, the other was found to have a partially damaged mosaic, stylistically dating to the 4th century. Very little evidence was found to date the abandonment of the villa, although a layer of charcoal and ash, mixed with roofing tile, suggests that the building was eventually destroyed by fire. (296)

Survey of the estate by S Dyer of SCAU, with volunteers from the SyAS, for SCC’s Countryside Management Division. A variety of earthwork features, including lynchets, ridge-and-furrow, hollow ways, boundary banks, quarries, sawpits etc were recorded, indicating that the site was largely used for arable from the medieval period until the 19th century, when the land became increasingly used for grazing and plantations.

Evaluation by J Robertson of SCAU, for SCC’s Resources Dept, of a site proposed for residential development. Three of the trial trenches revealed evidence of modern disturbance. No features or finds of archaeological interest were recovered.

A watching brief by M Dover of SCAU for McAlpine Homes, on residential development works, recovered a number of possible Bronze Age flints from a deposit, probably colluvium, in the southern area of the site.

A watching brief was kept by R Poulton of SCAU for Crown Hall Estates Ltd, on the construction of a new house. Although the site had been disturbed in the recent past and therefore no features survived, a number of sherds of pottery from the 11th/12th centuries down to the 19th century were recovered, including the rim of an 11th/12th century cooking pot.