Marcham Park

Limited access to the site meant that it was only possible to excavate Trenches 1-5 of the intended 11 trenches originally proposed in the WSI. These were positioned, as indicated on Figure 2, to provide an even coverage of the development impacts from the proposed lake extension. Wherever possible, these targeted the anomalies from the geophysical survey, whilst also taking into consideration the various constraints on site, including buried services. The trenches were excavated using a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless bucket under the direct supervision of an archaeologist. Due to the depth of the natural geology and concerns over health and safety, some of the trenches were excavated in stages to ensure that deep excavations were not left open and unattended for prolonged periods. This meant that trenches 2,3 and 5 were initially excavated to either the top of the archaeological horizon, or a maximum depth of 1m below ground level. Following consultation with Richard Oram (OCC), these were then partially backfilled and restriped in sections to ensure the natural geology or archaeological horizon has been exposed along the entire length. At the eastern end of Trench 5, a machine-cut trench was revealed containing mixed modern debris. Communication with representatives and the landowner confirmed that this was a 2m-deep test-pit dug to investigate the geology of the site. Due to the presence of possible asbestos containing materials within this backfill, this material was left in situ. The archaeological evidence from the surrounding area includes numerous sites dating to the prehistoric, Roman and medieval periods. However, no comparable archaeological remains were encountered during this evaluation and the paucity of artefactual evidence suggests there has been little activity within the area of investigation prior to the establishment of the Marcham Park estate. Although some features were identified, the investigations did not reveal any significant archaeological remains in the area of the proposed development. Based on the deep sequences of overburden recorded in the trenches, it appears that the ground level was elevated during the mid-20th century when the lake was established.