Surrey Archaeological Society

Watching brief by J Robertson of SCAU during the construction of a pipeline from the High Street at Reigate Methodist church into Priory Park. A number of features probably relating to the 18th century geometric kitchen gardens were revealed within the park, as well as the remains of a possible former trackway. Elsewhere, an apparent buried medieval soil layer produced 13th and 14th century pottery, and the area around the Methodist church and towards the High Street revealed evidence from probable boundary walls and a cellar of post-medieval date.

Ongoing research excavation by P Harp of Plateau continued to recover later prehistoric material.

Fieldwalking by P Harp of Plateau, following on from excavations and fieldwalking in the area in 2002 and 2003. Palaeolithic surface material continued to be collected. Although most post-glacial flintwork was left in situ and unrecorded, some examples of Mesolithic axes and Neolithic/Bronze Age arrowheads were recovered.

Evaluation and building recording by A Birchenough of MoLAS revealed no below-ground finds or features of archaeological interest. However, the photographic recording works to two air-raid shelters provided a useful archive of unusual prefabricated structures prior to their demolition.

Evaluation by P Jones of SCAU revealed no finds or features of archaeological interest.

Evaluation by J Stevenson of ASE. Brief continuation of the evaluation largely undertaken and completed in 2004; see the 2004 round-up (SyAC 92, 279) for details of the results.

Evaluation by E Glass of OA beginning in 2004 in advance of residential development. This has revealed evidence for concentrations of mainly Late Iron Age to Early Roman activity, with the potential for at least one settlement of Iron Age date existing in the areas examined. A low-density spread of features was encountered throughout much of the large area examined, suggesting landscape exploitation from the Iron Age through to the post-medieval period.

Geophysical survey and evaluation by D Sykes of OA to inform a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration and enhancement of the park landscape. The geophysical work provided generally disappointing and inconclusive results, especially around the area of the priory where it had been hoped that evidence for former monastic structures would be forthcoming, although magnetometry work on the summit of Park Hill did reveal a number of anomalies consistent with the presence of a Bronze Age site that is suspected to exist in the area.

Evaluation and excavation by D Bird for the Roman Studies Group of SyAS, as part of a wider programme of work designed to gather together and reassess all available information of the villa site excavated by Lowther in the 1920s, and accompanying clay pits and tileworks surveyed and excavated by J Hampton in the 1960s. The work located the site of the villa, and a trench close to its frontage located the approach road to the villa. Two spoil heaps near the villa, and a spoil heap for the detached bath-house, together with the general location of this building, were also found.

Evaluation by G Hayman of SCAU to provide information to inform management decisions regarding the Scheduled earthworks in the church graveyard, specifically in relation to a proposal to extend the graveyard. The evaluation involved the excavation of a trench in the area immediately to the north of a substantial, partially infilled ditch. This was in use during the medieval period but follows, at least in part, the course of a smaller ditch of Roman or earlier origin which lies immediately to the north of the site of a Roman building.