An excavation was undertaken by Colchester Excavation Committee (later Colchester Archaeological Trust) in 1975-6 of cropmark features recorded by aerial photography in advance of gravel extraction. A variable depth (250-450mm) of modern ploughsoil was removed by machine onto subsoil L2, which had modern cultivation marks but no archaeological features. L2 was excavated by hand in 1m excavation squares and spits, down to the undisturbed natural.<1><2> The excavation defined an irregular ring-ditch F1, 11.2m in internal diameter, dated to the Late Bronze Age; the feature was descibed as 'an irregular pennanular ditch with a narrow causeway on its eastern side'. There were a number of shallow internal features, three of which contained Late Bronze Age pottery, and a possible post-hole ring. A crushed pot F13 was also defined within the internal area of the ring ditch. In the small area investigated outside (and to the south) of the ring ditch, a shallow feature F11, pit F9 and gully F10 were defined. Pottery from the post-holes, ditch and associated pits was of a flint-gritted, Late Bronze Age type (in total, there were 1183 sherds (6.25kg) of prehistoric pottery). A sample of Vicia faba (horsebean) from pit F11, outside of the ring ditch, produced a radiocarbon date of 1130-790 cal BC (two sigma: 2760 + 80 BP, HAR-2502). There was a possible (residual) Neolithic sherd (a rolled rim of an early Neolithic bowl), 23 sherds (422g) of Roman pottery, including sherds of samian and probable Dressel 20 amphora, and 16 sherds (68g) of early Anglo-Saxon pottery. There were also 32 sherds (311g) of unstratified medieval and later pottery. As well as the pottery, an Anglo-Saxon glass bead was recovered from the ploughsoil. Other contemporary finds included three biconical spindle-whorls, a perforated baked clay object and a pottery counter cut from Roman greyware. 29 fragments of worked flint were recovered from the excavation.