ENN110577 - Land south of the A45, Upper Heyford, 2022 (Geophysical survey)

Phoenix Consulting Archaeology Ltd commissioned Allen Archaeology Limited to undertake a geophysical survey using magnetometry on land south of the A45 at Upper Heyford, Northamptonshire, to help inform a future planning application for the site.The geophysical survey consisted of a detailed gradiometer survey of the proposed development area, a total area of approximately 50 hectares. The survey was undertaken in a series of 30m and 40m grids across the site. The survey has revealed a large number of features across the entire site. Predominantly there are former cultivation trends, likely ridge and furrow agriculture, which were seen in a number of the fields, and clearly visible on Lidar data for the site and seen while surveying. The pit alignment in the northern part of the site was not identified with the survey, however a linear features across the northern field does appear to match up with the location of the alignment, and this may represent a former boundary feature. A small double ditched enclosure was identified towards the southern edge of the site along with a number of positive linear and curvilinear features which may represent other enclosure features and possibly a former trackway. The survey also appeared to identify a former field system quite dissimilar to the current field setup, with a potential former field boundary clearly visible on the Lidar data as well as within the survey results. There were a large number of amorphous positive features within the site, especially close to the southern site boundary. These may well correspond with flooding events of the river which runs immediately adjacent to the southern boundary. Other amorphous positive features within the site may represent pits or soil-filled hollows, or potentially small ponds or other water related features. A large modern gas service pipe was clearly visible cutting though the southwest part of the site.