Site Event/Activity record ESF22586 - Watching Brief - Castle farm, Castle Meadow, Bramfield

The construction of a workshop and garaging at Castle Farm, Bramfield, was subject to a standard Watching Brief condition. Interest in the site was due to it being located c.50m from the southern edge of a large circular ditch feature enclosing an area known as Castle Yard (SMR ref. BMF 001), believed to be a defended site of medieval date. The site was visited on the 14th October 2004 in order to inspect the footings for the new workshop. Upon arrival it was found that all the footings for the new building were open. They had been cut through a thin layer of dark loam containing occasional fragments of post-medieval brick and mortar, which overlay the natural subsoil, comprising blue/grey boulder clay. Within the northeastern wall footing a short length of low redbrick wall was visible running parallel along one edge. This was interpreted as part of the remains of a former shed that was demolished prior to the start of building work. The spoil was being used to partially backfill an old pit (NGR TM 4001 7331) situated some 225m to the southwest. The spoil and the excavated footing trenches were thoroughly examined but no archaeological features or deposits were identified, and no artefacts were recovered. The footings were cleanly dug and had any archaeological features or deposits been present the author is confident that they would have been identified. There were no obvious signs of truncation of the natural surface but as this had been the site of a small shed or barn there is likely to have been some disturbance. The spoil was also well presented with the topsoil being separated from the subsoil and slightly spread out.