Monument record ERL 120 - New Access Control, Gate 2, RAF Lakenheath

An archaeological excavation was carried out in advance of a new access control area at Gate 2, Lord's Walk, RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. In total, an area of 4058 sqm was excavated and this revealed four main phases of activity. The first phase was a large, discrete, cluster of 22 pits, dating from the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. The majority of these pits were uniformly filled with large quantities of Beaker pottery sherds, worked flints and deposits of charcoal. Three radiocarbon dates were obtained from the charcoal giving readings of 2050-1890 BC (GU-13110), 2210-2010 BC (GU-13111) and 2210-2020 BC (GU-13112)(S2).
A second phase of limited occupation in the Iron Age period, with three large pits, was followed by a third Late Iron Age/Early Roman phase, consisting of a trackway and an associated network of ditches. This is a continuation of the field system identified at ERL 089, 200m to the east, and can probably be associated with the nearby settlement at Caudle Head mere. The southern ditch of the trackway has a definite kink in its course, avoiding the phase I pit group, indicating that some trace of these features may still have been visible. In general the line of the trackway corresponds closely with the course of the modern Lords Walk road, implying that this is an ancient route to move livestock between winter pasture on the heathland to the east, and summer pasture to the west on the fen-edge.
A final fourth phase of activity is formed by a small group of mostly post-medieval metallic objects recovered from a small spread of subsoil by metal detecting. A range of miscellaneous undated pits and ditches were scattered across the site and are most likely to be contemporary with phases I to III (S1).

Assessment of the potential for the analysis and publication of the archaeologicial finds at RAF Lakenheath (S2).
For other Beaker pit clusters see WGM 007, SXM 002 and Sutton Hoo.