An archaeological evaluation by trial-trenching preceded demolition of existing standing buildings and construction of thirteen new homes on the adjoining sites of Stansted Airport Motel and 2 Hamilton Road, Dunmow Road, Little Canfield (Fig. 1). The work was undertaken in accordance with the stipulations of an archaeological brief and a Written Scheme of Investigation (ECC HEM 2012; ECC FAU 2012). The site area was 4390m2. An archaeological evaluation by trial-trenching preceded demolition of existing standing buildings and construction of thirteen new homes on the adjoining sites of Stansted Airport Motel and 2 Hamilton Road, Dunmow Road, Little Canfield (Fig. 1). The work was undertaken in accordance with the stipulations of an archaeological brief and a Written Scheme of Investigation (ECC HEM 2012; ECC FAU 2012). The site area was 4390m2. Archaeological excavations across the Stansted / Takeley area, including some carried out to the north and west of the site during the Priors Green housing development, have revealed numerous archaeological remains, including Neolithic pits, Bronze Age and Iron Age waterholes and occupation sites, Roman farms, and medieval settlements and strip fields (Havis and Brooks 2004; Timby et al 2007; Cooke et al 2008; Ennis 2008; Germany and Scruby in prep.). Dunmow Road is also known as Stane Street and was formerly a Roman road running between Roman towns at Braughing and Colchester. Trial trenching at The Rest, 300m to the west, found no evidence for Roman or medieval roadside occupation (Germany 2009 and 2010). The objectives of the trial-trenching were to find out if the immediate section of Stane Street was used for Roman or medieval roadside occupation, and to discover if the site, like that of Priors Green to the north and west, contained remains of prehistoric pits and medieval strip fields. The site was investigated by stripping three 1.8m wide trenches, the excavation of which was carried out by a mechanical excavator. The machine was equipped with a broad toothless bucket for trenches 1 and 2, and with a narrow toothed bucket followed by a broad toothless bucket for trench 3. All three trenches were stripped under archaeological supervision. Trenches 1 and 2 were situated in the garden of 2 Hamilton Road, and trench 3 in an area of hardstanding to the rear the main part of the motel. The forecourt of the motel was not investigated because it contained buried fuel tanks. Trenches 1 and 2 (Plates 1 and 2) revealed a natural deposit of brownish orange silt clay beneath c. 0.31m of dark brownish grey silt clay topsoil. There were no archaeological remains. 1 Recent grubbing out of roots of shrubs and small trees had left the surface of the brownish orange silt clay slightly disturbed in places, but had not been archaeologically detrimental. Trench 3 (Plates 3 and 4) exposed 0.09m of tarmac above 0.4m to 0.51m of modern madeground. The made ground decreased in thickness from west to east, rested on natural deposits of brownish orange and pale brownish grey silt clay, and contained pieces of modern concrete and brick. There were no archaeological remains. The results of the trial-trenching probably indicate that the garden area of 2 Hamilton Road has not been previously occupied, and that the area of the Stansted Airport Motel has been previously stripped and truncated. Occupation alongside the immediate section of Stane Street / Dunmow Road may have been sparse during the past, as no evidence for roadside occupation was also found during the trial trenching of The Rest in 2009 and 2010.
Mark Germany (Sun,) studied this question.