Monument record SUE 088 - A group of probable shellfish production pits of Post Medieval date, Sudbourne parish

A number of oyster pits are visible on aerial photographs from the early 1940s onwards, as a group of earthworks centred on circa TM45885274 in Sudbourne parish. They are visible as two or possibly three roughly rectangular pits between circa 6 x 13m and 8 x 20m in size It is probable that they were part of a row of pits that extended to the south east, but damage from coastal erosion has obscured much of this area. Two further pits are visible roughly 200m to the south at circa TM45835254 and TM45825247. The pits are marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of circa 1884, and their construction can therefore be dated to at least the Post Medieval period. By 1972, the action of coastal erosion and the ongoing military presence on Orfordness has resulted in a remodelling of the coastal defences and the pits are no longer visible. (S1-4)