Monument record FEX 281 - Orwell High School, Felixstowe

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on land to the northwest of the current Orwell High School buildings, comprising the northern part of the school playing fields and the northern half of an adjacent field to the west of the school property, as part of a pre-determination investigation prior to planning permission being granted for the development of the area for a new school building. 29 trenches were excavated across the site, with archaeological deposits identified in just over half of them. These deposits were dated to the Bronze Age/Middle Iron Age and medieval periods (11th - 14th centuries) along with some more modern (mid-late 19th century onwards) deposits. It appears that these features represent field systems and localised occupation/ specific land use, particularly in the area of Trenches 1-5 to the north of the site, where most of the dateable early deposits were situated (S1).