Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

21 February 1989. NAU air photography.
Ridge and furrow in Kirby Hall Park.
D. Edwards (NLA).

The ridge and furrow is confined to the South Park and is Context 2. The park as a whole dates before 1794; it tripled in size between 1869 and 1886 but then contracted again. Important walled gardens remain (see NHER 10690). There are important 19th and 20th century gardens including a topiaried yew walk framing the church (NHER 10658) castellated hedges, and much older single topiaried specimens. Remnants of 19th century glass houses.
Information from (S1) which notes 'earthworks of great archaeological importance'. Not on (S2).
E. Rose (NAU), 22 March 1994.

November 1997. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000. Indicates park boundaries and subdivision with possible medieval toft and a later roadway. Ridge and furrow in west is considered post medieval, in area newly incorporated into site, whereas ridge and furrow mentioned above (Context 2) is not thought to be so.
See report (S3) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S4) and the survey is also noted in (S13).
See NHER 10690 for information on features surveyed in the immediate vicinity of the hall itself.
B. Cushion (NLA), November 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 1 April 2015.

October 2006. Norfolk NMP
Earthworks of medieval to post medieval date, including ditches, enclosures, ridge and furrow, roads and a former nuttery, are visible on aerial photographs (S7-S12). The central grid reference for these earthworks has been amended from TM 3720 9395 to TM 3710 9407. The southern part of this group of earthworks has been subject to ground survey and is discussed in detail in (S4-S5). Not all of the features previously recorded on the ground are visible on aerial photographs.

Earthworks of series of incomplete enclosures are present around Kirby Cane Hall (NHER 10690). A rectilinear enclosure with internal dimensions of 38m by at least 16m is located to the north of the hall at TM 3728 9424. To its south an L shaped ditch earthwork defines part of another enclosure that measures at least 66m by 16m. To the southwest of the hall linear ditch earthworks define further rectilinear enclosures. An L shaped ditch defines part of a small enclosure that is centred on TM 3735 9397. On the aerial photographs, these earthworks were partly obscured by trees and have been more completely mapped by the ground survey. To the south and west of these enclosures, centred on TM 3713 9396, are earthworks of possible ridge and furrow. The ridge and furrow is aligned west to east and extends for 238m by 118m. The west end of the ridge and furrow is formed by an extant boundary, the southern part of which is visible as a ditch earthwork. This appears to correspond to the position of the park boundary shown on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S3, S6). Two linear north to south aligned banks are present in the southern part of the park around TM 3722 9382. It is likely that these relate to former field boundaries of medieval date.

Cutting across this part of the park on a southwest to northeast alignment between TM 3708 9381 and TM 3731 9399 is another linear bank earthwork. This earthwork represents an earlier course of the Old Bungay Road before the park was established. The modern course of Old Bungay Road continues the same alignment to the southwest. It appears to cut across the possible ridge and furrow earthworks. Further linear bank earthworks are present on a roughly west to east alignment between TM 3681 9385 and TM 3695 9381. They appear to relate to a former course of Rayners Lane further to the west, which was possibly diverted when the park was extended into that area. An earthwork of an elongated oval pond is present to the north of this former road. To the north of this road at TM 3686 9397 are two groups of four parallel linear banks. These are between 78m and 84m long and lie on a north northeast to south southwest alignment. They have previously been interpreted as ridge and furrow (S5). A more likely interpretation is that they are associated with tree planting and formed part of a 19th century nuttery (S3-S4). Four rows of trees are visible in this area on the 1945 and 1946 RAF aerial photographs (S9-S10). However, these trees are actually located parallel and immediately to the east of the linear ridge earthworks and do not directly correspond to them as is suggested by (S3-S4).
J. Albone (NMP), 30 October 2006

Monument Types

• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
• DITCH (Unknown date)
• POND (Unknown date)
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• RIDGE AND FURROW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROAD (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• TOFT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• CONSERVATORY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GLASSHOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• LANDSCAPE PARK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• NUTTERY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SUNDIAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TUNNEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TRENCH (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Kirby Cane (Parish Summary)