Project Mercia Phase II: Archaeological Trial Trenching Report

Trial trenching was commissioned by the Client who intends to construct an expansion to Mercia Park, a manufacturing and logistics development. The proposed development comprises the construction of two new warehouses, which will include the provision of associated landscaping and services. Archaeological remains were found in 36 trenches in total and were concentrated in clusters of activity across the entire Site. The data recovered indicated past activity related to agricultural processes dating to the Romano-British periods, as well as the post medieval period. The survival of the archaeological features was moderate: the features were largely shallow in depth and diffuse in shape, aside from the Romano-British ditches discovered in Trenches 84, 85 and 86, which survived in a better condition - anomalies of a possible trackway with an associated rectilinear enclosure were detected towards the western edge of the Site.