Henwick Park, Thatcham, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

The evaluation fieldwork comprised the excavation of 39no 50m x 1.8m trenches. The trenches were located to provide a representative sample of the application site. It was necessary to amend the trench layout slightly from that proposed in the WSI (CA 2025) due to on-site constraints. Trenches were set out on OS National Grid co-ordinates using Leica GPS. Overburden was stripped from the trenches by a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless grading bucket. All machining was conducted under archaeological supervision to the top of the natural substrate, which was the level at which archaeological features were first encountered. Archaeological features/deposits were investigated, planned and recorded in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual. Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential and samples were taken in accordance with CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other Samples from Archaeological Sites. Artefacts were processed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately after Excavation. CA will make arrangements with the West Berkshire Museum (accession number: NEBYM:2025.9) for the deposition of the site archive and, subject to agreement with the legal landowner(s), the artefact collection. A digital archive will be be deposited with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS). This archive will be compiled in accordance with the ADS Instructions for Depositors (2022). The archives (museum and digital) will be prepared and deposited in accordance with: " Guidelines for essential archive tasks and the preparation of archives (CA 2024); " Standard and guidance for the creation, compilation, transfer and deposition of archaeological archives (CIfA 2014; updated October 2020); and " Standard and Guide to Best Practice for Archaeological Archiving in Europe: EAC Guidelines 1 (Europae Archaeologia Consilium 2019). A summary of information from this project, as set out in Appendix D, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain. In April and May 2025, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation at Henwick Park, Thatcham, West Berkshire. A total of 39 trenches were excavated. The evaluation recorded a small cluster of intercutting Early Iron Age pits, a medieval field boundary ditch, a modern field boundary ditch, and a small number of undated ditches.