Monument record MNL 525 - Elmcroft Caravan Park, Beck Row, Mildenhall

An archaeological monitoring took place of topsoil stripping and footing trenches for residential development at the former site of Elmcroft Caravan Park, Beck Row, Mildenhall. The site fronts onto the former Medieval Holmsey Green. A scatter of isolated features were observed. Trenching revealed the undulating landscape of natural chalk subsoil underlying mid yellow sands. There were some areas of modern disturbance and built up ground. Three undated ditches (0001, 0006 and 0009) were seen in the north part of the site which may represent field systems or property boundaries related to the layout of Holmsey Green. The frontage of the site onto the Green had been damaged or destroyed. The remaining features are set back a considerable distance from the edge of Holmsey Green and they do not indicate any real phases of activity. The spread 0008 is a small area of surviving subsoil, probably the infill of a shallow depression in the natural landscape. Pit 0011, being such a large feature, may be a sand or chalk extraction pit but is undated, as is pit 0013. Finally the peat filled pit/hollow 0015 again appears to be a natural feature, probably a small pond lying amidst the natural undulating landscape of sand dunes.

Archaeological monitoring of geotechnical test pits identified no archaeological features or deposits (S2).