Site Event/Activity record ESF21028 - Evaluation, Land East of Hawes Street, Ipswich

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on a parcel of land to the east of Hawes Street, Ipswich, in advance of a proposed housing development. The site was formerly part of an ironworks involved in large-scale engineering. Three trenches were excavated across the proposed site but no archaeological features were identified and no artefacts recovered. At the northern and southern ends of the development area a natural subsoil of pale yellow sand was encountered at a depth of c. 1m. In the central area a dark grey alluvial silt was present at a depth of c. 1.3m to 1.5m suggesting a marshy lagoon or inlet from the main river channel. Concrete footings and slabs, some of which were in-situ, were noted in all three trenches. In the southern two trenches the overburden comprised made ground at the base of which was a hard dense layer of slag and clinker or a thick deposit of black sand, ash and clinker. These layers were undoubtedly waste from the former iron works that had been spread over what was probably the original land surface that was otherwise relatively undisturbed. In the northern area large deposits of broken concrete with reinforcing were recorded and the underlying natural deposits had been clearly truncated, probably during the demolition and clearing of the former ironworks. (Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service for CgMs Consulting). Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future Not known Associated Identifiers: HER event no. IPS 646 Sitecode IPS 646 Planning Application No. IP/11/00432/FUL NMR No. 1545450 Project Type: Field evaluation Development Type: Housing estate Methods and Techniques: Sample Trenches Position in the Planning Process: After full determination (eg. As a condition) Reason for Investigation: Direction from Local Planning Authority - PPS Site status: None Current Land use: Other 13 - Waste ground Monument Type(s)/Period(s): NONE None Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): NONE None PROJECT LOCATION Area 0.43 Hectares Grid Reference: TM16564331 Point PROJECT CREATOR(S) Brief originator: Local Authority Archaeologist and/or Planning Authority/advisory body Design originator: K. Wade Director/Manager: Rhodri Gardner Supervisor: Mark Sommers DIGITAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: other Media: Images raster / digital photography, Text PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: other Media: Map, Report BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Archaeological Evaluation Report - Land East of Hawes Street, Ipswich IPS 646 Author(s)/Editor(s): Sommers, M. Other Bibliographic Details: SCCAS Report No. 2011/116 Date: 2011 Issuer/Publisher: SCCAS Place of Issue or Publication: Ipswich Description: A4, comb bound, white cover, one appendix (also available as PDF)