Surrey Archaeological Society

Evaluation by R Poulton of SCAU, for Orbit Housing Association and Hunting Gate Partnership, in advance of residential redevelopment. No features or finds of archaeological interest were revealed. Part of the site was found to have been badly disturbed and the remainder to be covered by alluvial deposits - suggesting the site was too low lying, and therefore wet, to have been attractive to ancient settlement. (321)

Evaluation by G Hayman of SCAU, for Balfour Beatty, in advance of works relating to the widening of the M25. No features or finds of archaeological interest were noted. (314)

Evaluation by C Cowan and S Jones of MoLAS, for Antler Homes, in advance of construction of a replacement house within the hillfort. The trial trenching revealed late post-medieval remains including a brick and tile drain and a small area of sunken brick flooring, but no evidence for earlier activity.

Historic landscape survey by C Currie, for SCC’s Planning Dept, as part of the process for considering designation as an Area of Historic Landscape Value. The most frequent earthwork features on the commons are the large number of substantial parallel ridges, some up to 3m high and extending for over 100m. Most of the identified groupings surround former quarries, lending support to the theory that these features are related to mineral extraction. The remains of conventional quarrying are also highly visible, both as quarry pits and spoil mounds.

Watching brief by N Shaikhley of SCAU, for The Conservation Practice on behalf of St Mary’s Church, on the site of a new extension to the church. A number of graves of indeterminate date were disturbed.

Evaluation and watching brief by J Robertson and S Hind of SCAU, for TAG McLaren Holdings Ltd, of a further area of this development site - adjacent to the former farm buildings. In one trench a possible pit and a gulley were identified, both of which contained early Saxon pottery. Other features revealed in the trenching produced no dating evidence or were post-medieval or modern. A watching brief on the first phase of the development, the construction of the access road, revealed four shallow features.

Report received from S Dyer on various work carried out at the palace, for Woking Borough Council, between 1995 and 1998. A detailed topographic survey of the palace site was conducted and a number of building platforms revealed. Resistivity survey produced a number of anomalies, the most prominent and numerous of which represent buried wall footings, or robber trenches. These are located on the eastern half on the site, the western half having been given over to gardens.

Evaluation by J Perry of SAS, for Nayeem Homes, in advance of residential development of the site. Neither of the two trial trenches excavated revealed any signs of occupation earlier than the 18th century, and the virtual absence of domestic rubbish suggests that the site was not occupied until this date.

A watching brief maintained by R Poulton of SCAU, for the Diocese of Guildford, did not reveal any finds or features of archaeological interest.

Evaluation by R Poulton of SCAU, for Lacey Simmons, prior to residential development, revealed no features or finds of archaeological interest. The site had not been previously disturbed, but was found to prone to waterlogging.