Monument record SUT 195 - Survey of the salt marsh and foreshore below Sutton Hoo

Following the discovery of man-made wooden structures and pottery on a stretch of foreshore below Sutton Hoo in 2002, a programme of archaeological work was undertaken to better understand the archaeology and dynamics of the area. As a result of this, repeat visits were made in 2003, 2005 and 2009 to monitor the rate of further erosion, the survival of known wooden structures and to record any newly exposure timbers. The grid pegs set out in 2002 to monitor sediment changes on the foreshore showed erosion of c.30mm, on average, with accretion of 10mm apparent on the surviving pegs in the northern part of the grid. A temporary layer of soft, waterlain silts was present over the foreshore at the time of both visits, making it difficult to assess the condition of previously recorded timber structures. Clearly some erosion of the foreshore had occurred as two new areas of timbers were recorded, both comprising a mix of vertical posts with horizontal infill. Remains were fragmentary, neither cluster appeared formalised and the wood was in poor condition. A vertical hazel (Corylus avellana) stake removed from wood scatter 0041 in the southern part of the survey area was radiocarbon dated to 320 AD +/- 30, the earliest date yet obtained from this site. Survey of the salt marsh edge shows continued gradual erosion and a single sherd of medieval coarseware pottery found on the foreshore suggests that pottery continues to erode out of the salt marsh (S1).