Monument record ORF 062 - Shellfish production pits in the saltmarsh of the River Ore, Orford parish

A group of Post Medieval date pits, probably created for the cultivation of shellfish, can be seen as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1945 onwards, centred on circa TM44025041 (S1). The pits are on average between 3.5m squared and 8m x 5m in size, and can be seen in the saltmarsh for approximately 750, running alongside the sea banks recorded as ORF 055 and SUE 086. They are not marked on the first or second edition Ordnance survey maps of circa 1884 or 1904, but their somewhat eroded condition on the 1945 photographs and their alignment on the Post Medieval flood bank SUE 086 suggests a Post Medieval date for their construction (S2, S3). Many of the pits mapped are still visible on photographs of 1972, but it is probable that more are present that cannot be clearly seen on the available photographs (S4).