Bronze Age

Priory Park, Reigate

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.

St Giles’ church, Ashtead

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.

Polesden Lacey, near Great Bookham

Evaluation by R Lambert of SCAU revealed no features of archaeological interest, but did recover a number of Neolithic/Bronze Age struck flints from the topsoil across the site, and a discrete flint scatter between the topsoil and natural in one of the trenches. A watching brief by J Robertson of SCAU during the excavation of a pipe trench in front of the main doorway of the house revealed the edge of a possible Victorian manhole.

Dorking Water Treatment Works to Tower Hill Water Main, Dorking

Watching brief maintained by N Shaikhley and S Hind of SCAU during the excavation of a pipeline trench and associated easement. This revealed the remains of a 19th century pathway, flints of Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age date, a sherd of 13th/14th century coarse orange ware and post-medieval pottery sherds, all from the stripped topsoil. Metal detecting undertaken by P and A Vallis recovered a religious plaque dated to the late 15th/16th century, and a medieval copper-alloy key.

Clockhouse Brickworks, Capel

Monitoring of topsoil stripping by R Moore of NA in the area of two proposed haul roads did not reveal any features of archaeological significance, but did recover struck flint of Neolithic/Bronze Age date, a fragment of 17th century pot, and a small collection of modern ceramic building material.

Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley

Evaluation and subsequent excavation and watching brief by G Hayman of SCAU on the site of the proposed bicentenary glasshouse. A number of ditches were revealed during the evaluation. Dating evidence was slight, but the subsequent excavation and watching brief that followed established that the area was subject to two distinct periods of landscape management, with enclosure ditches and field systems dating to the Middle–Late Bronze Age and to the 11th–12th centuries. The flint assemblage was predominantly Bronze Age, with a small number of Mesolithic and Neolithic pieces also collected.

Compton

Watching brief by C Clarke of AOC during stripping works for the construction of a noise abatement screen alongside the A3. Two small pits containing pottery and charcoal, probably of Bronze Age date, were revealed.

Hengrove Farm, Staines

Continuing excavation by G Hayman of SCAU revealed further features of Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman date, as well as some of early medieval origin. Most features dated to the Bronze Age, and included ditches, waterholes, and numerous small pits and postholes. An area of concentration of pits and postholes is likely to have once been a Middle Bronze Age settlement, although no dwellings were recognised, and only one four-posted structure was identified.

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