Monument record MNL 502 - Smoke House Inn, Beck Row Iron Age (IA)
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Summary
Location
Grid reference | Centred TL 568 278 (207m by 218m) |
---|---|
Map sheet | TL52NE |
Civil Parish | MILDENHALL, FOREST HEATH, SUFFOLK |
Civil Parish | Beck Row, Holywell Row and Kenny Hill, Forest Heath, Suffolk |
Map
Type and Period (10)
- DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- STRUCTURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- HUT CIRCLE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- RING DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- POST HOLE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- SETTLEMENT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- HOUSE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- ROUND HOUSE (DOMESTIC) (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
Full Description
Multi-period site with evidence of Bronze Age occupation and finds, as well as extensive IA and Rom areas. Iron age enclosures and at least two possible hut circles/ring ditches. Details in (S1) (S2) & (S3).
HER Map shows excavated area, see others for evaluated area.
See also BA, Rom and PMed.
An excavation was carried out in advance of a housing development on land to the north of the Smoke House Inn, west of Skeltons Drove.
The earliest phase of activity on the site was represented by an occupation or buried soil layer which contained Beaker pottery of the Early Bronze Age. A series of ditch systems are largely datable to the early Roman period, although some, containing Iron Age artefacts, seem to belong to an earlier enclosure system. Probably contemporary with the latter are two small ring-trenches (c.5-7m in diameter) which may represent structures.
Also Roman in date was a large (c.30m x c.7m) aisled building (Fig. 10 ). This had at least two structural phases, both of which seem to be associated with agricultural use, although possibly not serving the same function. In both phases there was an aisled building with a compacted chalk floor; a layer of burnt debris between the two floor layers probably relates to the destruction of the first recognised building phase. A number of the second phase post-holes contain broken millstones, perhaps remnants of an earlier building function, and there are a number of gullies, or possible flues, within the floor of the second phase must relate to the function of the structure.
Further Roman ditch systems belong to a phase that post-dates the aisled buildings. A small number of post-medieval features were also identified, including field boundary ditches which relate to the more recent history of the site. Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 1999 (S4).
Sources/Archives (5)
- <M1> SSF50072 Unpublished document: Suffolk Archaeological Service. Parish Files.
- <S1> SSF51408 Unpublished document: Gill, D.. 1998. Eval report. Beck Row, Mildenhall.
- <S2> SSF51584 Unpublished document: Finch E.. 1999. Archaeological Excavation Report, Beck Row Assessment Report, Mildenhall.
- <S3> SSF53911 Bibliographic reference: Bales, E.. 2004. A Roman Maltings at Beck Row, Mildlenhall.
- <S4> SSF55362 Article in serial: Martin, E.A., Pendleton, C., Plouviez, J. & Thomas, G.. 2000. Archaeology in Suffolk 1999. XXXIX (4).
Finds (3)
- FSF27107: POTTERY (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- FSF27108: STRAINER (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- FSF27110: ANIMAL REMAINS (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (3)
Record last edited
Aug 5 2024 3:22PM