Monument record ORF 085 - Probable shellfish production pits of likely Post Medieval date, Orford parish

A number of oyster pits of probable Post Medieval date are visible on aerial photographs of 1945 onwards as earthworks cut into the saltmarsh of the River Ore, centred on circa TM43324966 to the east of Orford town, Orford parish (S1). The pits are roughly rectangular and measure on average between 3 x 3m to 6 x 6m in size. The pits are not marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of circa 1884, but a number do appear on the second edition map of circa 1904 (S2, S3). This may be due to the increasingly naturalistic and less schematic mapping of the saltmarsh on the second edition map, and not due to the pits absence in 1884. It is possible that some larger pits marked on the second edition map have silted up and are visible on the aerial photographs as dark areas in the saltmarsh, but it is not possible to be sure. The pit can still be seen on aerial photographs of 1972 (S4)