Monument record SUE 080 - Pits of of uncertain function and date on Sudbourne marshes, Sudbourne

A group of pits of unknown date and function are visible on aerial photographs from 1945 onwards as earthworks located behind the sea wall on Sudbourne marshes, centred on circa TM44235183 (S1). The pits vary in size from circa 4 x 6m to circa 20 x 10m and can be seen spaced out over about a 500m stretch of reclaimed land. A small number of pits are marked in this area on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of circa 1904, potentially placing their creation in the late Post Medieval period (S2). The pits can also be seen on photographs from March 1955 (S3). They are situated to the east of a drainage channel but it is not possible to see any channels linking the pits to the channels. They may be oyster beds but their location behind the sea wall and lack of connecting water channels may make this unlikely. It is also possible that they are extractive pits, but their precise purpose remains unclear. The pits are no longer visible by 1972, and have probably been destroyed as part of the extensive drainage enhancement program that is visible on aerial photographs of June 1955 (S4, S5).