Record Details
| NHER Number: | 20179 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Linear bank and ditch earthworks at Geldeston Hall |
|---|
Summary
An earthwork comprising a linear bank and ditches running north to south through Geldeston Hall Park is visible on aerial photographs. It has been variously interpreted as a possible Roman road, a medieval boundary bank to a wood, or a combination of the former reused as the latter. It is most likely that it is a post medieval boundary associated with the park surrounding the hall.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TM 3952 9248 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TM39SE |
|---|
| Parish: | GELDESTON, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
|---|
Full description
March 1984. Seen in grassland of park.
Earthwork of north to south road, about 4.5m (15 feet) wide with clear camber, continuous with side ditches, running complete length of park from the road on south to the wood on the north, which it joins at the point where a track runs away to the west.
Looks like the classic Roman road profile, but. Certainly appears to be pre Park.
A. Gregory (NAU) 8 March 1984.
Marked on 1838 (S1) as a straight black line apparently forming east boundary of strip of woodland which joined with that remaining at north end.
Is this therefore a wood boundary bank? But dimensions and details are odd, perhaps older feature reused as such.
E. Rose (NAU), 20 March 1984.
October 2000. Visit.
Earthwork remains in grazed pasture, camber still shows a good profile. Feature continues into woodland to north with visible ditches for some of its length.
H. Paterson (A&E), 3 November 2000.
August 2006. Norfolk NMP
A linear earthwork bank and ditches are visible on aerial photographs (S2—S4). The central grid reference for this earthwork has been amended from TM 3954 9260 to TM 3952 9248. An intermittent linear bank is present on a north to south alignment for 130m between TM 3952 9236 to TM 3952 9249. The bank is up to 7m wide and is flanked by narrow earthwork ditches. A further narrow bank is present alongside the eastern ditch in the southern part of the earthwork. Bryant’s 1826 Map of Norfolk (S5) shows the woodland on the western side of Geldestone Hall Park extending as far south as the road but the woodland is not marked on Faden’s 1797 map (S6). It is possible that this bank was associated with the woodland or the park boundary, but if so it is likely to date to the establishment of the park in the 18th century, rather than the medieval period. The earthworks visible on the aerial photographs could also be interpreted as a possible Roman road as has also previously been suggested. However, there is no obvious evidence for its continuation either as and archaeological feature or in the modern landscape and it is uncertain where it would be leading from or to.
J. Albone (NMP), 24 August 2006
Monument Types
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- ROAD? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- BOUNDARY BANK (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
- WOOD BANK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| <S1> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1824-1836. Ordnance Survey First Edition 1 inch.. |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1716 4086-7 09-SEP-1946 (NHER TM 3992B / TM 4092A). |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1963. RAF 58/5942 (F22) 60-1 27-SEP-1963 (NMR). |
| <S4> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1995. OS/95161 221-2 19-MAY-1995 (NMR). |
| <S5> | Map: Bryant, A.. 1826. Bryant's Map of Norfolk. |
| <S6> | Publication: Faden, W. and Barringer, J. C. 1989. Faden's Map of Norfolk in 1797. |
Related records - none
Find out more...