Monument record CHF 024 - Post Medieval rectangular pits, possibly oyster beds, visible on aerial photographs cut into the bank of the Butley river.

A system of inter-connected rectangular and sub-rectangular pits, possibly the remains of a Post Medieval shellfish industry, are visible on aerial photographs of 1945 onwards as earthworks in the saltmarsh of the Butley River, centred on circa TM393505, Chillesford parish (S1). They measure between circa 3 x 3m to about 6 x 6m in size. The majority of the pits are cut into a spit of saltmarsh that is separated from a possible relict sea bank to the west (CHF 022) and the current sea bank on the east (GED 063) by erosional creeks in the saltmarsh. A number of smaller, more regular pits are visible adjacent to the current sea bank at circa TM39365052, but these may be quarry pits for material to repair or maintain the sea banks. The pits are not marked on either the first or second edition Ordnance Survey maps of circa 1884 and 1904, but their location parallel to the sea bank might suggest a Post Medieval date for their creation. (S2-3)