Monument record IPS 2063 - Possible moat, pond or ditch at 1a -1c, Coltsfoot Road, Ipswich

2018: A desk-based assessment was undertaken of the proposed development site in 2018. The Proposed Development Area (PDA) is located within the urban area of Ipswich but is well outside the historic core of the Saxon and medieval town. It is situated within an area of housing developed in early 1950s on what was formerly open farmland. The presence of evidence relating to a low level of Prehistoric activity and possible Roman occupation is suggested by finds of pottery and other artefacts that are recorded within the Study Area. Limited Saxon activity has been identified although a small number of stray artefacts have been recorded in the local area. No positively identified medieval sites are known in the local area although a substantial, but undated, feature recorded on the adjacent site has been interpreted as a possible medieval moat. No documentary references to a medieval moat has been identified and it has been speculated that it is related to the rearing of game birds and hunting. Map evidence indicates that this feature will run across part of the PDA. (S1)

2019: An evaluation revealed a single feature interpreted as a large ditch or pond that was aligned roughly east-west. It was in excess of 5.6m wide and over 2.3m deep. Its full dimensions could not be ascertained, due to the unstable nature of the ground, and no dating evidence was recovered. This feature has been previously recorded on the site immediately to the west and is coincidental with a linear pond that encloses a rectangular 'island', as marked on early OS maps. Its appearance is superficially similar to a medieval moat but no positive evidence for this interpretation has been discovered in the fieldwork undertaken to date. Documentary research has also failed to uncover any reference to a medieval moat in this area. No other features or artefacts were identified. It was noted in both trenches that the surface of the natural subsoil had been truncated, presumably in relation to earlier development. (S2)