Site Event/Activity record ESF19530 - Evaluation, 132 High Street, 2004

An evaluation was carried out in advance of residential development on land to the rear of 132 High Street, Lakenheath. The evaluation consisted of four trenches with a total length of 120m, or 5.3% of the total area of 0.36ha. The trenches showed a high level of preservation of the natural subsoil beneath a deep garden topsoil. Two trenches located a series of nine ditches, predominantly aligned north-south, containing pottery dating to the 12-13th century. These ditches were roughly parallel to each other and were on a similar alignment to the High Street and the surrounding modern property boundaries, indicating that the current land division in the area is a continuation of the medieval layout. Layers sealing these ditches contained material of a later medieval/post-medieval date indicating that these ditches had fallen out of use during the medieval period and, with the deep build up of topsoil, indicates that the site has probably been used as domestic gardens since then. The trenches clearly showed that a large house, shown on the 1783 Hodskinsons map, was not present in the development area. Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future Yes Associated Identifiers: Sitecode LKH236 Planning Application No. F/2004/0407/OUT HER event no. LKH 236 NMR No. 1403234 Project Type: Field evaluation Development Type: Rural residential Methods and Techniques: Sample Trenches Position in the Planning Process: After full determination (eg. As a condition) Reason for Investigation: Direction from Local Planning Authority - PPG16 Site status: Conservation Area Current Land use: Vacant Land 2 - Vacant land not previously developed Monument Type(s)/Period(s): DITCH Medieval Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): POTTERY Medieval PROJECT LOCATION Area 0.36 Hectares Grid Reference: TL71578238 Point PROJECT CREATOR(S) Brief originator: Local Authority Archaeologist and/or Planning Authority/advisory body Design originator: Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, Field Team Director/Manager: Jo Caruth Supervisor: John Craven DIGITAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: Ceramics Media: Database, Text PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: Ceramics Media: Context sheet, Map, Photograph, Plan, Report, Section PHYSICAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: Ceramics BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Land to the rear of 132 High Street, Lakenheath, LKH 236 Author(s)/Editor(s): Craven, J. Other Bibliographic Details: 2004/124 Date: 2004 Issuer/Publisher: SCCAS Place of Issue or Publication: Bury St Edmunds Description: SCCAS Evaluation report