Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

July 1946. RAF aerial photograph.
Shows double ditch, possibly featuring a causeway or bank to northwest and north of St Benets, the western most end liking to the medieval causeway from Horning (NHER 5200). The feature is less clear to northeast and appears to link curving drain which extends south to join with catch drain 350m east of Abbey. Features show as slight earthworks. Possible outer enclosure, flood defence?? For Abbey.

1972. Ordnance Survey aerial photograph.
Shows only western most section as clean earthworks, the extreme north section now less clear.
B. Cushion (NLA), 8 June 1999.

March 2007. Norfolk NMP
Earthworks of linear banks and ditches of medieval date forming an outer boundary associated with St Benet’s Abbey (NHER 5199) are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S4). These earthworks are connected to the causeway to the abbey (NHER 5200) at their southern end and the NMP mapping for the site is recorded under that number. The eastern part of the boundary earthworks were not clearly visible on any available aerial photographs. Two ditches are present on roughly north to south alignments to the east of the main abbey enclosure extending between approximately TG 3862 1593 to TG 3841 1531 and TG 3874 1592 to TG 3876 1527. It is possible that either of these ditches formed the continuation of this boundary or that they are later drainage ditches and the boundary followed a different route not visible on the aerial photographs. Because of the uncertainty about the route of the eastern part of the boundary the ditches were not mapped.
J. Albone (NMP), 28 March 2007

Monument Types

• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
• CAUSEWAY (Unknown date)
• DITCH (Unknown date)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Unknown date)
• CAUSEWAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records