A community test-pitting program took place in 2019 at Rowhurst near Leatherhead in Surrey. The site has a Grade II* listed building on the site dating back to 1346 and surface finds on the site included Bronze Age and Roman pottery and an Iron Age gold stater. The public were given experience in both test-pitting and finds processing.

This note covers the results of archaeological monitoring of a pipeline trench  excavated between the Hawthorne Pavilion in Farnham Park and the northern end of Upper South Park View in Farnham (centred SU 840 474). A few finds of possible Civil War date were recorded.

In November 2019 the final season at this muddy site took place. The intention was only to complete excavating a few features which had been left unfinished in 2018 when the team had to leave the site due to the deeply unpleasant conditions caused by the ‘Beast from the East’. Fortunately November 2019 was rather kinder and in spite of some rainy days there were enough dry ones for the work to take place within few days. In November 2019 the final season at this muddy site took place.

A new report on the prehistoric pottery from rescue excavations carried out between 1961 and 1968, at Weston Wood, Surrey, ahead of sand extraction, has just been published online.

The annual excavation took place at Cocks Farm Abinger in June-July 2017 under the direction of Emma Corke. Volunteers excavated two trenches in an area of high agricultural activity on the hill adjacent to the known Roman villa site. This area was identified during a magnetometry survey looking at the environs of the villa which uncovered a Roman field system, a Roman lime kiln and a concentration of pits.

Watching brief by D&A Graham of SyAS. The footing trenches for an extension were examined. No finds or features of archaeological interest were revealed, with the site having apparently been horizontally truncated during the construction of a previous extension in the 20th century.

For more information please view the attached report

The well-known Roman temples site at Wanborough lies north of the Hog’s Back between Farnham and Guildford. The site was first excavated in 1979, again in 1985/6 following large scale treasure hunting and most recently in 1999 when David Williams directed an excavation that revealed a second earlier circular temple (Surrey Archaeological Collections vols 75, 82 and 93 respectively).

A month of excavation took place in June 2015 in the field outside the scheduled villa area. Thanks to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly on the sandy subsoil to uncover evidence for probably two consecutive later Iron Age enclosures on the hilltop, each with large, deep flat-bottomed storage pits surely intended for grain. A number of late Iron Age and Roman ditches were also uncovered and  these and the pits validated the findings of the magnetometry surveys undertaken in the field over the last few years.

Resistivity survey and trial trenching by D Graham of SyAS in advance of the construction of a new footpath from the postern gate to the buildings of the bailey. Both trenches contained disturbed ground with 19th century and later material. The resistivity survey showed a rectangular anomaly that may be the corner of the medieval gate tower.   

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who helped to make the latest season at Abinger such a success. It may seem odd to say that in view of our failure to finish the trench, but this was a result of finding that there was more surviving archaeology than anticipated. Much of this must be down to your hard work in tackling the difficulties of finding archaeological features in sand. As a result we have a much better understanding of the site and how to approach it in future.

In 2014 land on Gravelly Hill was purchased by Caterham School and they expressed an interest in knowing the archaeological and historical background to their new land. The late Peter Gray had already noted the presence of earthworks within the area but access had previously been limited. As a result of the change of ownership members of the Surrey Archaeological Society undertook aa measured survey of the land within the medieval park and a small area to its immediate north.

Watching brief by A and D Graham of SyAS revealed evidence of post-medieval pits and a wall that may represent evidence of a cellar that appeared to pre-date the construction of the current 18th century building.

For more information please view the attached report.

Watching brief by D Graham of SyAS on the conversion of a late 18th century barn in 2013. Apart from a possible clay/chalk floor and signs of an episode of burning, there was no evidence for any activity on the site other than the remains of a shallow brick wall running across the centre of the building. The bricks were relatively modern, but underlay the concrete floor and probably represent the line of an earlier partition wall. It seems likely that the area was either open fields or backlands until the barn was constructed in the late 18th century.
 

The final main season of excavation on Ashtead Common was undertaken by the Society’s Roman Studies Group in August and September this year. The ground was very dry at first at the end of the long dry spell, making excavation difficult, but it did allow work in places that would usually have been under water (and indeed were at the end of the dig). The excavation was aimed principally at completing work on the area of the newly discovered building, the Lowther villa and the tile kiln(s).

Watching brief by D Graham of SyAS in advance of building work. Evidence was found that the southern brick boundary wall had been built on top of and on the same alignment as a medieval ditch, which probably marked the line of the original 12th century burgage plot. The ditch had been cut by a later building, possibly 15th/16th century in date, which appeared to extend across width of the garden, and was probably contained within the curtilage of the plot.

During the summer of 2011, an archaeological investigation of the garden to the rear of no 45 (SU 83894 47104) was carried out prior to the construction of an extension to the house and subsequently to monitor the footing trenches during building works.

In 1996 the three barrows and the one immediately to the north were surveyed by the RCHME in advance of work to repair damage caused by horses and walkers eroding the mounds.  This work involved capping the mounds, though not the southernmost one, with sand and laying gravel along the line of the paths that cross the crests of the barrows. By 2010 the gravel paths were again eroding away and the mounds being damaged by the pressure of public use of the Common.

Survey of and test pitting between the bell and disc barrows on Horsell Common, Woking (TQ 01446 59817) in 2009.

For more information plese view the attached report.

Watching brief by D Graham of SyAS in advance of development (SU 85507 46888)  revealed a single possible ditch, of probably recent origin. No other finds or features of interest were revealed.

For more information please view the attached report.

An analytical survey of Hascombe Hillfort (TQ 005 386) was carried out by members of the Surrey Archaeological Society over the winter of 2008-09, and a magnetometry survey of part of the interior took place in the spring of 2009. A full report of these activities (of which this is a summary) has been lodged in the Surrey Archaeological Society library.

Setting:

Watching brief and resistivity survey by D Graham of SyAS during topsoil removal to create additional car parking spaces. The site lies outside the area of the former (now filled in) inner bailey ditch, and no features were detected. A number of finds were recovered during the topsoil removal, however, including a number of musket and pistol balls, and three powder caps from gunpowder flasks. An incursion of parliamentary forces into the castle courtyard occurred on 26 November 1642, with the royalist garrison surrendering as a result.

Watching brief by D Graham of SyAS during the excavation of a pipeline trench at Wayneflete’s Tower (SU 83753 47254). Little of archaeological interest was revealed in an investigation that was too limited to intrude into archaeologically significant levels. It was apparent that the ground around the tower had been raised by around 0.5m, suggesting that any subsequent intrusions below this depth will damage archaeological remains.

For more information please view the attached report.

Excavation of a section across the Frensham and Tilford parish boundary at SU 8540 4340.

For more information please view the attached report.

Topographic survey of the eastern barrow of the pair (SU 9107 4093) on Thursley Common by D & A Graham of SyAS. 

Repair works to the dam at South Park moat (SU 9160 3555; Scheduled Monument Surrey Nat No 12756) were carried out in July 2004 and involved cutting a 40cm-wide, 4m long and 2m deep slit trench roughly centrally from the south edge of the sluice. The work was supervised by D Graham of SyAS. No finds of archaeological material were made, but the west section of the trench was recorded.

For more information please view the attached report.

Following on from the successful gridded field survey at Chiddingfold a similar exercise wascarried out in the field adjacent to the Roman bath house at Chatley Farm. The building was first noticed in 1942 exposed in a river bluff formed by the Mole, which flows just to the east of Chatley Farm. The site was subsequently excavated by Sheppard Frere (1949) and turned out to be a bath house of 4th century date.

A small-scale archaeological investigation at the mouth of the cave was carried out on 18 May 2002 by a team from Surrey Archaeological Society. The work was requested by Waverley Borough Council’s Heritage Officer in advance of the installation of new wrought iron gates. The landowners kindly gave permission for the work.

For more information please view the attached report

Trial trenching in fields at Frensham Manor (centred SU 8396 4045) in 2001 located a Roman occupation site which survives below plough soil level and would appear to represent the remains of a small farmstead dating from the late 1st to the 3rd centuries AD. Finds of redeposited fragments of highly fired clay flooring point to the presence of a kiln in the immediate vicinity and metal detector finds from adjacent fields are indicative of further Roman activity in the area.

A watching brief by K D Graham of SyAS on the construction of a house on this site revealed no features or finds of archaeological interest. A metal detector survey also produced no material earlier than the 19th century.

A watching brief by K D Graham of SyAS on works for a rear extension confirmed that the site had previously been extensively disturbed and no trace survived of the 13th century pottery kiln identified in 1991.

For more information please view the attached report

Building works within the standing building, which dates to the late 16th century, revealed a number of features subsequently recorded by D Graham. A small mortar-lined conical pit containing solidified lead was identified, presumably the remains of a furnace associated with lead working. No dating evidence was recovered, but the furnace must pre-date the standing building and appeared to be later than a stone floor, apparently of 13th century date, which was also recorded. From evidence elsewhere in the town, it is thought likely that the furnace dates to the early 16th century.

Report by A and D Graham of a sheep wash set into the dam at the outflow of Frensham Great Pond, probably constructed shortly after the commons were enclosed in 1851. (286)

A programme of fieldwalking and woodland inspection carried out between 1985 and 1989 shed light on the changing pattern of settlement and land-use within the Tillingbourne valley.

The attached pdf is a full report of this work of which a paper is published in Vol 101 of the Surrey Archaeological Society Collections.

Archaeological investigations carried out at the moated site of the Royal Manor House of Guildford Park (SU 9691 4931) from1972 to 1975 are described. The site, which has no significant standing buildings, forms part of the garden of Manor Farm and is owned by the University of Surrey. Geophysical surveys, other surveys, historical records and discussions with the tenant farmer were used to decide on the relatively small parts of the site that would be most convenient and valuable to investigate.

No evidence was found of any occupation earlier than 19th century in date and the lack of finds would seem to indicate that there was no settlement in the immediate area.

For more information please view the attached report

Excavation by the late Dennis Turner prior to a development close to the parish church in Carshalton recovered worked flint, including an important collection of microliths from the Mesolithic period, and pottery dating from Early Neolithic to the medieval period.

The attached pdf is the full report from which a paper is published in Vol 101 of the Surrey Archaeological Society Collections.