Monument record SAP 012 - Euston Reservoir, Sapiston

2006: An archaeological impact assessment was undertaken as a result of a proposal to build a new reservoir with the Euston Estate at Sapiston. The proposed development falls within a landscape of river valley and gentle slopes with both sand and clay soils which has high potential for archaeological occupation of all periods. The assessment identified a large number of archaeological sites known to exist within the development area largely identified through chance finds. The evidence indicates a high potential for further new sites to be uncovered during the development. (S3)

2006: evaluation (42 trenches) and monitoring of proposed reservoir located small group of Late Nelithic/Early Bronze Age features and areas with numerous Early-Middle Iron age pits and postholes (S1).
An archaeological evaluation of arable farmland in advance of the construction of a farm reservoir identified two phases of activity. The earliest was a possible focus of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age occupation, which was indicated by the presence of scattered finds and one posthole, firmly dated to the phase by its pottery assemblage and the result of a radiocarbon analysis of its fill. The second was a more substantial scatter of pits and postholes, representing a period of domestic Iron Age activity in three areas, of which two were immediately investigated further in small open area excavations. The features hinted at the possible presence of small buildings and hearths although no discernable spatial patterns were apparent. Feature fills frequently contained small amounts of material likely to have originated from domestic refuse or hearth waste, the majority of the pottery dating to the Early Iron Age. A single feature contained material from a partially intact human cremation. Radiocarbon dates of the fills of two features confirmed the activity as occurring in the Early-Mid Iron Age. The third and main spread of Iron Age features lay wholly within the area of the reservoir bund and agreement was reached to exclude this area of c.2700sqm from the general topsoil strip. The bund was subsequently built over untouched ground, leaving the archaeological deposits preserved in situ (S2). Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2006 (S4).