EDO7834 - Lodden Lakes, Gillingham; evaluation 2021

In 2021 Cotswold Archaeology undertook two phases of archaeological evaluation. Evaluation fieldwork consisted of the excavation of thirteen 30m x 1.8m trenches. During the excavation works, prolonged adverse weather resulted in the flooding of trenches, preventing the investigation of the limited features identified. Deteriorating ground conditions subsequently prevented the use of heavy machinery across the Site. Of the planned 21 trenches, only 13 were opened, representing a 60% completion of the planned archaeological scope. This sample was considered sufficient to clarify the archaeological interest of the Site for the purposes of informing a planning decision. Overburden was stripped from the trenches by a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless grading bucket. All machining was conducted under archaeological supervision to the top of the natural substrate, which was the level at which archaeological features were first encountered. The natural substrate was typically encountered between 0.32m and 0.55m below the current ground level across the site. Deposits were assessed for their paleoenvironmental potential. No deposits were identified that required sampling. Trenches 1-5 and 13-14 were archaeologically sterile with artefactual material dating to the medieval and post-medieval period recovered from an alluvial deposit in Trench 6, but it is likely to be residual in nature. Archaeological features consisting of ditches (Trenches 7-11), and a burnt flint deposit (Trench 7) were recorded in plan but were not excavated due to localised flooding caused by adverse weather conditions. The ditches recorded are evident from their alignment to represent at least two phases of land management, and probably represent a field system. A small enclosure centred on Trench 10 cannot be ruled out. None of the archaeological features mentioned above are located on any cartographic sources postdating the 1800’s and are expected to date to the post medieval period or earlier.