Norwich Road, Scole, Norfolk

Between the 30th of September and 14th October 2024 Oxford Archaeology carried out a programme of exploratory trial trenching to the east of Norwich Road, Scole, Norfolk. A total of 35 trenches were excavated across a 7.46ha site proposed for housing development. A geophysical survey carried out in 2011 had detected a group of field boundaries at the centre of site and an enclosure at the western side of the field, adjacent to Norwich Road. The trenching sought to verify the geophysical survey results and establish the extent, date and state of preservation of the remains, particularly, the dating of the sub-rectangular enclosure. The trenching confirmed the findings of the geophysical survey, revealing both the enclosure in the western part of the site and the wider system of field boundaries. The enclosure was defined by substantial ditches associated with small assemblages of medieval pottery, animal bone and charred plant remains. Few features were revealed in the area enclosed by these ditches, but did include a substantial pit, again associated with medieval pottery. These remains appear to represent the rear part of enclosures fronting onto the route of the current Norwich Road, probably representing a small area of medieval roadside settlement. The field boundaries revealed elsewhere across the central part of the site largely correlated with boundaries shown on historic (19th century) mapping and relate to post-medieval agricultural land use. In the south-eastern part of the site two trenches revealed natural deposits of probable colluvium associated with small quantities of prehistoric worked and burnt flint.