Viking Link Proposed Converter Station, North Ing Drove, South Holland - Trial Trench Evaluation

Sixteen trenches (Illus 2) were excavated within the proposed converter station. All trenches were 50m in length and 2m in width and were set out in accordance with the agreed trench layout plan in the WSI using a Trimble GNSS device. A mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless ditching bucket was used to remove the overburden under direct archaeological supervision. Mechanical excavation ceased once the level of archaeological visibility was reached. Investigation of archaeological remains was undertaken through hand excavation. A representative sample, sufficient to meet the objectives of the evaluation, of identified archaeological or potentially archaeological remains were investigated and recorded. The stratigraphy of each trench was recorded in full. The trenching has clearly demonstrated that the cropmarks give the more accurate assessment of the level of the archaeological resource on this site but that this also is an under estimation of the level of archaeology. Whilst the trenches to the southern end of the proposed converter station site were either blank or had a low level of features, primarily ditches, substantial remains were present in Trenches 1, 2 and 3 at the northern end of the proposed converter station site, which is situated on a slight ridge in an otherwise flat, low lying, landscape. These features are mostly ditches but also with discrete features suggestive of settlement activity. 70 sherds of pottery, recovered from the features in these three trenches spans the Roman period, predominantly the 2nd to 3rd centuries, but with some earlier material from a single feature, a possible water hole, in Trench 2. Two pieces of Roman tile (imbrex) was also recovered from a single post-hole. Later medieval (14th-15th century) sherds were also recovered from a ditch also in Trench 2. The flora assemblage was not very informative but the animal bone was more interesting with butchery marks indicative of marrow extraction on several of the cattle bones and tool marks suggesting hide processing. On the basis of the current proposals the construction of the proposed converter station site will have an impact on the sub-surface archaeological features but a bigger impact will be at the northern end of the proposed converter station site where any cabling and/or access track works will have a significant impact on the dense archaeological remains present here.