Monument record WHI 014 - Whitton Church Lane Recreation Ground

Sept 2008: A systematic fieldwalking and metal detecting survey revealed a general scatter of prehistoric worked flint and Roman pottery in the areas where features of this date were identified and a thin spread of medieval artefacts across the whole site, probably associated with the manuring of fields (S1).

Nov-Dec 2008: An archaeological evaluation prior to the construction of sports buildings revealed features of mainly Iron Age and Roman date. These features were concentrated in two areas of the site. The first area situated between the two fields that make up the site revealed datable features of Iron Age date. It is likely that the evidence from these features points to some form of settlement during the Iron Age and Roman periods. Residual flint artefacts of earlier date were identified across the site and a single pit containing flintwork of Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date was also identified. An area of dark material associated with burnt flint and a possible fragment of Bronze Age pottery was interpreted as the possible remains of a ‘burial mound’. A second area of interest revealed further ditches, pits and finds of Late Iron Age to Early Roman data along with undated features. The ditch alignments were tentatively examined across the site and it was proposed that some may relate to a Late Iron Age to Roman field system (S1).

Apr-May 2009: A second phase of evaluation trenching was carried out to clarify the nature of some of the features identified during the first phase. A number of new features were identified, most of which were of Late Iron Age to Early Roman date, similar to those identified in the first phase. The spread of features in the eastern portion of the site was discovered to be part of a more intense Iron Age to Roman field system that previously thought (S2).