Excavation at Land at Site 25, Beacon Park, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk: Archaeological Excavation Archive Report

The excavation comprised a roughly rectangular area of 0.125 ha. Ground reduction during the excavation was carried out under archaeological supervision using a 21 ton 360� tracked mechanical excavator fitted with a 2m wide toothless ditching bucket. Topsoil and subsoil deposits were removed in spits down to the level of the undisturbed natural geological deposits where potential archaeological features could be observed and recorded. Exposed surfaces were cleaned by trowel and hoe as appropriate, and all further excavation was undertaken manually using hand tools. Metal-detecting was carried out of any stripped deposits throughout the excavation process and all archaeological features and spoil heaps were surveyed by metal-detector as they are encountered. The metal detector was not set to discriminate against iron. Three ditches and an enclosure, along with several natural features, were investigated during the excavation. Ditch 1 and Enclosure 1 had been previously identified during the site's evaluation (Crawley 2016). The features yielded no datable artefactual material, aside from three sherds of residually deposited pottery, which suggest limited activity at the site during the Bronze Age and Late Iron Age. The ditches likely represent boundary divisions, while the enclosure may have functioned as an animal pen. The overall character of the site appears to be agricultural rather than domestic in nature, being located some distance away from occupation areas.