Monument record HAD 159 - Two post-medieval ditches, Land at 109 High Street/Brett Works

2017: A initial evaluation stage did not find any archaeological features (S1).

2018: A second phase of archaeological monitoring and trial trench evalaution was carried out. Two fo the four trenches showed high degrees of disturbance and truncation. Another trench, which extended westwards towards the edge of the flood plain and the river brett, showed an undisturbed soil profile, including a probable alluvium horizon. A trench near the southern edge of the site, despite being highly disturbed, revealed two deep ditches of probable post-medieval date, althoug one contained residual medieval pottery (S2).

2018:An Level 2 Historic Building recording was undertaken on a Second World War air raid shelter located within the former Bretts Works site, Pound Lane. The shelter consisted of a partly below ground, narrow, T shaped chamber, formed of concrete cast in-situ with an entrance at the end of each of the three arms. The flat top of the shelter was located approximately 0.5m above the present ground level. Internally the floor and lower section of three walls painted with bitumen to prevent damp. Adjacent one entrance was a vertical steel pipe or duct was present, probably associated with electrical equipment, with no other internal fittings were present. All three entrances had been blocked with mortared blockwork. The access stairs had been removed and were probably made of brick (S3).