Site Event/Activity record ESF21755 - Evaluation at Harp Close Meadow, Sudbury

An evaluation by trial trenching was carried out in relation to a planning proposal for development of the site. Twenty-nine trenches (total area 2222 m2) were excavated, representing approximately 4.9% of the proposed development area. The site was located in a dry valley overlooking the River Stour valley to the west. Natural strata consisted of glacial outwash sands and gravels with localised areas of chalky till, overlaid on the lower slopes by head deposits. A north-south ditch close to the eastern boundary of the site produced small amounts of abraded prehistoric and Roman pottery and some worked flints, and a rich plant macrofossil assemblage that included frequent charred cereal remains. The ditch was sealed by a soil horizon containing small amounts of worked flint and Roman pottery, which in turn was buried by a layer of colluvial soil that produced some fragments of Roman tile. The colluvium was overlaid by the current topsoil. The only other archaeological feature was part of a pit (or ditch terminus) in the western half of the site; this produced some undiagnostic fired clay fragments but no datable material. Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future Not known Associated Identifiers: HER event no. SUY 117 NMR No. 1568261 Project Type: Field evaluation Development Type: Housing estate Methods and Techniques: '''Sample Trenches''' Position in the Planning Process: Pre-application Reason for Investigation: Planning condition Monument Type(s)/Period(s): DITCH Uncertain Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): POTTERY Late Prehistoric, POTTERY Roman PROJECT LOCATION Area 2222.00 Square metres Grid Reference: TL87894208 Point PROJECT CREATOR(S) Brief originator: Local Authority Archaeologist and/or Planning Authority/advisory body Design originator: Sarah Poppy Director/Manager: Andrew Tester Supervisor: Kieron Heard DIGITAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR ID: SUY 117 Contents: 'Animal Bones', 'Ceramics', 'Metal', 'Stratigraphic', 'Worked stone/lithics' Media: 'Database', 'Images raster / digital photography', 'Images vector', 'Text' PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR ID: SUY 117 Contents: 'Stratigraphic' Media: 'Context sheet', 'Plan', 'Report', 'Section' PHYSICAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR ID: SUY 117 Contents: 'Animal Bones', 'Ceramics', 'Metal', 'Worked stone/lithics' BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Archaeological Evaluation Report: Harp Close Meadow, Sudbury, Suffolk Author(s)/Editor(s): Heard, K Other Bibliographic Details: SCCAS report no. 2012/126 Date: 2012 Issuer/Publisher: Suffolk County Council Place of Issue or Publication: Bury St Edmunds Description: A4, wire bound, 40 pages plus appendices