Site Event/Activity record ECC2848 - Trial-trenched evaluation of land at Stane Park, Stanway

Location

Location Land at Stane Park, Stanway
Grid reference Centred TL 9456 2467 (173m by 299m)
Map sheet TL92SW
Civil Parish STANWAY, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Technique(s)

Organisation

Archaeology South-East

Date

May 2015

Map

Description

An archaeological trial-trenched evaluation of land (2.37 ha.) at Stane Park, Stanway was undertaken in May 2015 in advance of a planning application, for The Churchmanor Estates Company PLC (CBC planning application 146486). This followed a desk-based assessment by Mott MacDonald.<2> Twenty-two trenches were excavated in a grid pattern across the site with the exception of one trench specifically positioned to target the plotted location of a cropmark ring ditch potentially indicating the position of a plough-levelled prehistoric burial mound. The evaluation identified a low density of archaeological remains within the proposed development area. Excepting an undated pit in Trench 15, these were concentrated in two parts of the site. Prehistoric remains survive in the central part of the development area, comprising the seemingly incomplete remains of a ring ditch and a pit, while medieval remains are present at the southern end of the development area and are indicative of activity alongside London Road. The earliest recorded remains comprised a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pit at the north-west end of Trench 10. A curvilinear ditch revealed in adjacent Trench 9 is taken to represent the ring ditch predicted from cropmark evidence. The two features together suggest an area of possible funerary activity during the late prehistoric period. The only other remains predating the modern period were represented by a scatter of medieval features seen in trenches 20, 21 and 22, at the south end of the site. These comprised a large possible quarry pit, a smaller pit, a ditch and a posthole, and collectively indicative of some form of activity alongside London Road during the medieval period. The fairly broad date range provided by the pottery from these features spans the 12th – 14th century in Trench 20 and the 14th to 16th century in Trench 22 and while they may be settlement related, possibly associated with a plot fronting on to London Road, the features may also include roadside quarry pits in which domestic rubbish has been dumped.

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> Evaluation Report: Dyson, A. (Archaeology South-East). 2015. Stane Park (phases 1a and 1b) Stanway, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation. ASE Report No: 2015223.
  • <2> Desk-based Assessment: Janik, J. (Mott MacDonald). 2014. Stane Park, Stanway, Colchester. Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment.

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

  • Ring ditch, east of Wyvern Farm, Stanway (Monument)

Child/subsequent Site Events/Activities (1)

  • Stane Park, Stanway, Colchester. Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (Ref: ECC2847)

Record last edited

Jan 3 2018 11:43AM

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