Monument record ORF 060 - Post Medieval pits probably for the production of shellfish are visible in the saltmarsh, Orford parish

A small group of earthwork features, probably shellfish production pits of a Post Medieval date, are visible on aerial photographs of the early 1940s onwards, centred on circa TM45195022. They range from circa 2 x 5m to 12 x 12m in size, and are located roughly 20m to either side of the north-east tip of the sea wall recorded as ORF 059. Features cut into the saltmarsh are marked in this area on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of circa 1884, suggesting that activity related to the pits was occurring at this time, but more detail can be seen on the second edition of circa 1904. This might suggest that some of the pits are of modern date, or simply that the pits the related to shellfish production industry were being mapped accurately for the first time. The pits visible on the aerial photographs appear to be rather eroded, and there may be a greater number of pits in this area than can be clearly seen on the photographs available.(S1, S2)