WEST RUNTON & BEESTON REGIS HEATH

Archaeological Earthwork Rapid Identification Survey

For The National Trust

Brian Cushion Archaeological & Cartographical Surveyor

June 2012

2

West Runton & Beeston Regis Heath

Archaeological Earthwork Rapid Identification Survey

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 2 Summary

3 Results, with map

4 Conclusions

5 Bibliography

6 Acknowledgements

7 Appendices

3

1 Introduction The survey was commissioned in preparation for a Higher Level Stewardship proposal, and was undertaken in accordance with established guidelines of the Historic Environment Countryside Adviser of Norfolk Landscape Archaeology. The survey covers an area of 87 hectares of woodland and heath, including a recently acquired area of woodland which projected from the west into the earlier property extent. The majority of the managed woodland is on the flatter ground on the top of the Cromer Ridge, the heath and more varied woodland is on the sharply serrated north-facing slopes and intervening spurs of the ridge. The fieldwork method was to perambulate the area in as systematic way as topography and vegetation allows, ideally with c.50m transects, record features of note on a map provided, and give a brief analytical description. Hand-held GPS equipment would assist in positioning of the features. Early published maps were consulted, and the existing archaeological records were provided by Norfolk Landscape Archaeology. (See Appendices A & B). A National Trust Archaeological Report for the earlier area had been compiled by Dr Peter Wade-Martins, the then County Archaeologist in 1986 & 1992. Appropriate references are in the text. The area comprises parts of three parishes, West Runton, Beeston Regis and Aylmerton, within the former is the location of The Roman Camp, a well known local viewpoint and beauty spot, unfortunately misnamed. 2 Summary The major characteristics noted in the 1986 report are predominately verified. with only minor amendments and additions to some of the areas of late Saxon or early medieval iron workings. Some banks, particularly relating to parish boundaries, are significant for comparative dating, whilst a few extraction pits, probably for sand and/or gravel are noted. Of the 2nd World War military features, inspection of the extent as on the existing record indicated few remaining features, only slit trenches, but two additional sites were was recorded outside this area.

4

3 Results General The listing uses the Historic Environment Record (HER) numbers as on the archaeological record (Appendix A), where appropriate, but Fig 1, the survey record, only shows the extents in red as noted in 1986, which are considered a more accurate picture, along with any additional information. The new and individual sites within the HER extents are numbered consecutively throughout the report. The general description of the iron working pits in the 1986 report is considered appropriate and does not need to be repeated. All the modern forestry rides within the southern half of the area have an irregular bank on each side, often with spoil heaps from earthmoving. These have not been noted otherwise. June is not the optimum time for this type of survey, and the client was well aware of the potential for not identifying small features in the denser areas of vegetation, particularly bracken. Listing HER 6351 Iron working pits, two areas shown as in 1986 report. See also Site 13. HER 6353 No features identified. HER 6387 Signal Station (Beacon). The description in the present record and the site plan at the location need no further enhancement. HER 6417 Site of brick kiln. No convincing evidence, but several undulations in the general area are presumably related to it. HER 28916 Iron working pits. The area has been slightly extended from that on the 1986 report. See also Sites 18 & 19. Site 1 TG18734140. Two trenches, 2m wide and 1m deep on either side of a woodland ride. The southern one, L-shaped, has a longer length of 8m, a short one of 3m. The northern one is c.8m and parallel to the ride only 3m from it. These are obviously more recent than the surrounding iron workings, possibly a slit trench, or more likely a minor attempt at drainage. HER 38320 Unclear as to the exact extent of this area as it seems to overlap with 6351. However a substantial earth bank borders the working sand quarry to the south, but this is outside the NT property. Other banks in this vicinity are noted as Site 12.

5

HER 38325 A large area of recorded military activity, possibly a training area. Includes the following features within. Site 2 TG17794173. A large extraction pit cut into the western edge of a northward pointing spur, c.50m diameter. Accessed from a track to the west. Not considered of military origin, probably post-medieval. Site 3 TG18084174. A c.30m length of bank of 2m spread and 0.3m high. Not thought to be military, unclear origin, possibly a fragment of a former enclosure. Site 4 TG18134168. A c.25m slightly curved length of slit trench, 1m wide, 0.5m deep with a spoil bank to its north, oriented roughly NW-SE. Site 5 TG18284165. A c.35 m length of slit trench, c.1m deep and up to 2m wide is positioned immediately to the south of the wood boundary. Possibly a re-dug ditch formed into a trench. Site 6 TG18224163. A series of slit trenches, 1m wide and rarely more than 0.5 deep lies c.30m south of Site 5. It extends roughly 30m E-W and includes near its east end what could have been a circular trench. Site 7 TG18184151 A series of slit trenches of varying orientations, extending roughly 40m N-S and 50m E-W. Site 8 TG18284156. A small group, on edge of area, of what would seem to be features similar to the iron workings. However being off the ridge top it is possibly military or other extraction. Site 9 TG17844193 to TG17854190. A c.35m length of bank, up to 0.3m high and spread up to 3m forms a short part of the parish boundary between Beeston Regis and Runton. Site 10 TG17964172 to TG17984177. A c.50m length of linear depression c.4m wide and up to 0.8m deep, forming a hollow way of a track. The present path to its east has superseded it and the whole may well be the line of a track on Faden and Bryant. The path for much of its length on the sloping ground is a rather unusual feature in that it mostly is a cut pathway, with vertical sides, c.0.5m wide and deep, partly within a wider linear hollow, not obviously an eroded feature. Was this cut by the military during World War 2, or was it by the NT more recently? Site 11 TG17874189 to TG17964194. A linear slit trench, still shown on OS maps, up to 2m wide and 1m deep with a spoil bank to its north.

6

HER 38326 Iron working pits. In 1986 separated into two areas, on the HER they are linked. The former interpretation is considered more accurate, and shown here. Site 12 TG18574144. On the extreme eastern edge of this HER area is an embayment from the public road extending as a fairly level, but irregularly shaped area for over 30m, the entrance from the road being roughly10m. This has been suggested (pers com) that this was cut to enable tanks to be positioned during the 2nd World War. HER 51033 A series of slit trenches, 1m wide and varying depths. Site 13 TG16954173 to TG18904156. A series of two near parallel banks, roughly 20m apart, up to 4m spread and up to 0.6m high, the northern one in part suggested in 1986 as an early boundary, as the western two-thirds appears to be the southern limit of the iron working of HER 6351. Although obviously altered by some straightening, this does seem a plausible interpretation, as there are no features noted immediately to their south. This in part was also considered the line of a track on Faden’s Map of 1797, the northern bank now mostly levelled within the garden of Heath Cottage. The southern bank here is only a few metres into the garden, but it was felt this could not be ignored in this survey. Again a very plausible interpretation. The central and eastern thirds have a third parallel bank c.4m to their south, completely within the NT area, and still shown on OS maps, as are those above. This would seem to most likely be a post-medieval enclosure boundary. It continues south as Site 14. Site 14 TG17154148 to TG17204169. A bank of lesser definition than Site 13, being very variable in its form. Site 15 TG17004181 to TG17304198. A 5m wide banked track, now more a path, separating the arable land to the north from the steep slopes to the south. It is shown on Bryant, but not on Faden. Site 16 TG17424195. A c.15m embayment into the steep slope to the south may be a former small extraction pit. Site 17 TG17304147 to TG17444145 and TG17704149 to TG17874154. Two lengths of the parish boundary between Beeston Regis and Aylmerton which are banks up to 3m spread and 0.5m high. The gap corresponds quite closely to the iron workings of HER 28916 and would strongly indicate that this feature predates the workings. Faden shows the area to the south rather erroneously as Beeston Heath, despite it being in Aylmerton! On Bryant it is heath but not named. Site 18 TG17384144. An area c.40m by 20m of pits and slight mounds which appear similar to the nearby iron workings of HER 28916.

7

Site 19 TG17514149. A small area of features similar to Site 18. Site 20 TG17984156 to TG18194168. A section of the parish boundary between Runton and Aylmerton is a bank of c.4m spread but rarely more than 0.3m high. Site 21 TG17934139. A sub-circular shallow sided depression of c.15m diameter and up to 1.5m deep is considered a former extraction pit. Site 22 TG17924152 to TG18194136. A well-defined bank up to 1m high and spread 3m, with a slight ditch to its north. Still shown on OS maps, it is probably that shown on Bryant as the southern boundary of woodland. Site 23 TG18164165. A c.40m by 20m area of pits straddling the eastern end of Site 22, and may well be associated workings of the nearby HER 3826. Site 24 TG18444166. A short length, c.4m, of slit trench, up to 1m wide and 0.5m deep. Site 25 TG18304162 to TG18484156. A bank up to 3m spread and 0.6m high forming a rather meandering boundary of a former separately owned area. It traverses both sites 38325 & 38328. 4 Conclusions An interesting survey, with the several of the boundary banks being the most important and possibly the oldest newly recorded features. The well known iron workings of Late Saxon or early medieval origin, with some slight additions, are obviously of considerable importance to the records of early industrial activity. Various tracks/roads shown on the early published maps are noted, possibly of medieval origin. The limited military features are scattered over a large area. 5 Bibliography Faden’s Map of Norfolk, printed in 1797, reprinted by the Larks Press in 1989, with a foreword by J C Barringer. Bryant’s Map of Norfolk, printed in 1826, reprinted by the Larks Press in 1998, with a foreword by J C Barringer. National Trust Archaeological Survey of Roman Camp and Beeston Regis by Dr Peter Wade-Martins, 1986 & 1992.

8

6 Acknowledgements Richard Daplyn of the National Trust at Felbrigg for providing maps and the National Trust Archaeological Reports. Norfolk Historic Environment Service at Gressenhall for providing details of the existing archaeological record. 7 Appendices A. Map showing the existing archaeological sites in the vicinity. B. Listing of existing archaeological sites in the vicinity