Open Area Excavation at Proposed site compound on land off Rowes Lane, Helston, Cornwall

The archaeological excavations (strip, map & sample) were conducted in accordance with Written Schemes of Investigation (WSI) (Balmond 2021; Boyd 2024) drawn up in consultation with the Senior Development Officer Historic Environment, Cornwall Council; and in line with best practice. Each area (the eastern spine road, area of the 2022 compound and the area of the 2024 compound) were each stripped by tracked mechanical excavator to the depth of in situ weathered natural using a toothless grading bucket under archaeological supervision. Exposed archaeological deposits were excavated by hand and in accordance with the WSIs and CIFA guidelines. The archaeological excavations were carried out to validate the results of the previous geophysical surveys, to establish the presence or absence, extent, depth, character and date of any in situ archaeological deposits within the site, and particularly the continuation of prehistoric activity identified in the previous episodes of evaluation (Webb 2017; Webb 2021b) and excavation (Bampton 2018). The eastern spine road was stripped in July 2021; the 2022 compound in August 2022; and the 2024 compound in November 2024. This phase of excavation forming the spine road and compound strips as part of the Phases 3 and 4 of the Helston Urban Expansion housing development on land off Rowes Lane, Helston, Cornwall. This work was carried out following a geophysical survey, the site strip undertaken in three phases: a road corridor of c.255m × c.25m wide (up to c.42m) along the eastern edge of the site; a second area measuring c.70m × c.14m wide stripped to the west of this in advance of moving the site compound; and a third area measuring c.45m × c.35m to the west again excavated ahead of a further relocation of the site compound. Previous phases of archaeological evaluation and excavation as part of the earlier phases of the development had identified areas of prehistoric Bronze Age and Iron Age activity and settlement; as well as boundary features associated with the medieval and post-medieval land division and agricultural use of the site. The Phases 3 and 4 excavations identified 20 features which broadly validate the results of the geophysical surveys (where there is overlap), identifying linear ditches associated with field boundaries and agricultural activity, along with earlier phases of field-system. A number of pit features, some including burnt and heat affected material reflecting the presence settlement/industrial activity. Most of the buried features did not produce any dating evidence, those that did containing prehistoric and post-medieval pottery; the topsoil layers containing post-medieval artefacts. The layout of the linear features suggests that they form parts of two field-systems; one a post-medieval field-system and associated agricultural practices, including straight double-ditched hedgebank boundaries reflecting later enclosure. A second, as yet undated, field-system follows a slightly different alignment suggesting an earlier date, but is of likely late prehistoric or Romano-British origin and may be associated with the nearby discrete Bronze Age pit features or the Iron Age ditch features identified to the south. Many of the features do not survive to any great depth beneath the topsoils, and it is likely that multiple phases of agricultural activity have truncated the features leaving only those that were larger and deeper excavated, and explaining the intermittent or incomplete nature of several of the features on the geophysical survey.