PCA Durham undertook a programme of strip, map and record (SMR) of three separate areas in advance of residential development which was in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation submitted to, and approved by, the Local Planning authority.

Archaeological features from a range of periods were uncovered across three excavation areas.

In Area 1, a ring-ditch feature was exposed in the centre of the site that may represent the ploughed out remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. No features survived within the interior of the ring-ditch but a small assemblage of worked flint was recovered from the fill of the ditch.

To the east of this was a sub-square enclosure from which was recovered Romano British pottery and a small fragment of ceramic building material (CBM). A larger enclosure was also uncovered which contained a mixed assemblage of slag, medieval pottery and worked flint. Other features of note comprised a timber circle (perhaps a roundhouse), a complex of postholes representing a rectangular post-built timber structure, several Romano-British stone-lined pits that were perhaps used as ovens or kilns, part of a heavily truncated square Roman structure, a mound of burnt stone containing frequent sherds of Roman pottery and numerous undated pits, ditches and gullies. A large cup-stone/mortar was also recovered from one of the pits.

In Areas 2 and 3, the archaeology was much scarcer. In Area 2, eight undated pits were uncovered along with a narrow gully and a series of post-medieval/modern plough furrows. In Area 3, four undated pits, along with a shallow ditch and two modern gullies were exposed. All of our work was undertaken during a period of particularly wet weather which although having an effect on archaeologist and machinery alike, was dealt with stoically!

Our time on site is not over as PCA will be required to return to site to undertake monitoring of some of the soil strip and will particularly focus on recording where a ditch identified during the excavation continues across the site.