Site Event/Activity record ESF20595 - Evaluation and Test Pitting, Former Meat Harris Factory, Ipswich.

Eight evaluation trenches and 10 test pits were excavated in advance of outline planning consent. The results demonstrated the area could be divided into three areas. The northern third was characterised by at least 1.5m of modern reclamation deposits, following the redirection of the River Gipping. The central part of the site was heavily truncated by a large complex of 20th century building. The southern part of the site showed little modern truncation, although no archaeological features were encountered. Between the first two disrupted areas natural river terrace gravels with archaeological potential were found to be quite shallow, and a single prehistoric feature was recorded in the vicinity on an earlier Bronze Age urn. A second area of archaeological potential lay on either side of a trackway where banks of upcast soil up to 0.8m thick afforded some protection to natural river terrace gravels.