Monument record BEL 024 - Multi-period settlement activity, Firecrest Nursery

Evaluation trenches in Zone 1 identified clear evidence for Early Bronze Age and Early Anglo-Saxon settlement. A series of complex archaeological features including pits, postholes, and ditches some of which have been re-cut were recorded. Several of the features contained Beaker pottery and early Anglo-Saxon pottery. A large shallow pit containing evidence of structural had Anglo-Saxon pottery in it and is thought to be a sunken-feature building. Several other pits, postholes, and ditches could not be dated. In Zone 2 only 2 undated postholes were recorded (S1).

A second phase of evaluation identified two further phases of activity dating to the Neolithic and Iron Age. The archaeology occurred as isolated groups of features concentrated towards the east end of the site where all the early Anglo-Saxon material was recovered. The Iron Age activity was identified through sherds of unstratified Iron Age pottery recovered from the subsoil. A cluster of 10 post holes, sealed beneath a layer of hillwash was recorded however it was not possible to say whether they represented an outline of a building. Late Neolithic pottery was recovered from several pits and postholes (S2)