Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

October 1994-March 1995. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Fieldwalking in advance of development (Field A):
?Prehistoric burnt flints ('pot boilers', concentration in south-east corner of field).
12 prehistoric flint flakes, 1 blade, 3 retouched flakes, 1 end scraper, 1 side scraper and 1 combination tool.
1 Mesolithic flint axehead.
41 Roman pottery sherds (including 35 greyware, 4 Samian, 1 Rhenish colour coated and 1 oxidised) and 1 flue tile.
1 Roman or later quern fragment.
See report (S1) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.6).
E. Rose (NLA), 14 March 1995 and 2 June 1995. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 9 May 2014 and 27 April 2019.

December 1995. Trial Trench.
Evaluation trench excavated across area of pottery concentration identified during fieldwalking. Contexts 800-839 used.
Three shallow ditches and several small, probably natural features excavated.
Roman kiln, updraught type, vented floor intact, partially excavated.
Stokepit and flue beyond trench edge though flue was located.
Finds included worked flint, Prehistoric, Roman and post-medieval pottery, fired clay from kiln structure, burnt flint and one copper alloy object.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.6).
S. Bates (NAU), January 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 April 2015 and 27 April 2019.

March 1996. Geophysical Survey.
Geophysical survey suggests three further kilns and an enclosure.
See report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S5).
D. Gurney (NLA), 26 March 1996.

1996. Metal detector find. [1]
Post medieval Dutch coin weight, square. 17th century. 6.18g.
Identified by J. Davies (NCM).
H. Geake (NCM), 5 November 1996.

1996. Metal detector finds. [1]
Three Roman coins.
Medieval steelyard weight.
H. Geake (NCM), 4 November 1996.

February 1997. Excavation.
A few features were recorded as being of prehistoric date, including some small pits and several ditches.
The overwhelming majority of features recorded during the excavation date from the Roman period. During the 2nd century AD three pottery kilns were constructed. One of the kilns was a vent-floored pilastered kiln, suggesting some influence from potters at the Roman town at Brampton, where this form is also recorded. The influence of potting at Venta Icenorum (a short distance to the south west) is also indicated by the 'feather/fish-bone' mortarium stamps found at both sites.
Pottery recovered from the kilns included greyware and oxidised wares. Archaeomagnetic dating of the excavated kilns showed that the site was active during the 2nd century AD and suggested that the three kilns might have been used in sequence, with greyware being produced in the two earlier kilns, and oxidised wares including flagons and mortaria being fired in the third.
The kilns were all quite different in type. There are no obvious repairs to any of the kilns, but repeated use of at least one of the kilns seems likely. All three kilns are located with the oven chamber on the north side, perhaps to make use of a particular wind direction. These kilns probably represent relatively small-scale pottery production, perhaps on a seasonal or temporary basis. This suggestion is further supported by the apparent absence of associated buildings at this site. The reasons for the construction of kilns at this location are unclear, as is the intended market for the kiln products.
The other main features that probably date to the Roman period are a series of ditches. Their alignment suggests that they formed an enclosure or other boundary. Several large pits excavated close to two of the kilns may have been related to them, but this interpretation is uncertain.
See published report (S6) for further information. The results of this work are also summarised in (S7).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.6).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 January 2009. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 April 2019.

June to July 1998. Metal detecting. [2]
Roman brooch.
Medieval finger ring.
See list in secondary file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 17 July 1999.

Large quantities of Roman jars were recorded within an eroded layer during excavations at Laurel Farm (NHER 44715), immediately north-west of these kilns. Quantities of Roman pottery appear to have been dumped there on several occasions.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 26 November 2008.

May 2015. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of land to east of Peacham Way.
There was no evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with the five linear cropmarks previously mapped at this location (part of group recorded as NHER 51973).
The one response of note was a weak, somewhat sinuous east-to-west aligned linear anomaly at TG 2868 0933, which lay equidistant between two similarly-aligned cropmarks.
It is noted that the data is slightly noisier that would normally be expected and that the low apparent magnetic susceptibility and hence magnetic contrast may have hindered the recognition of sub-surface remains. The results were also affected by the presence of a north-west to south-west aligned modern service crossing the northernmost part of the area examined.
See report (S8) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 March 2021.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• PIT (Unknown date)
• POST HOLE (Unknown date)
• BURNT MOUND (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• DITCH (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC? to 42 AD?)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• PIT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC? to 42 AD?)
• FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POTTERY KILN (Roman - 100 AD to 199 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Undated)
• PLANT REMAINS (Undated)
• BLADE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• COMBINATION TOOL (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• END SCRAPER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• SIDE SCRAPER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FLAKED AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• AMPHORA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BOWL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BRIQUETAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FLAGON (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FLUE TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• JAR (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• KILN FURNITURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• KILN WASTE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• LID (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• MORTARIUM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman to Medieval - 43 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINGER RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• STEELYARD WEIGHT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COIN WEIGHT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Postwick (Parish Summary)