Monument record 6294/1/31 - Railway embankment between Stanwick and Raunds

{1} Some lengths of the railway embankment were removed so that the aggregate beneath could be extracted. In the course of this work a number of partial sections of the embankment were exposed, enabling the construction method to be examined. In these sections there was a well-preserved turf line, indicating that the embankment was thrown-up onto an undisturbed ground surface. The body of the embankment was made up of the same alluvial clays as those that lay beneath it. It is therefore evident that across the valley floodplain the simple upcast alluvial clay obtained from the digging of the drainage ditches was used to form the main body of the embankment, without the need for any imported materials.

{2} Trench 1 encountered make-up layers for the railway and three drains also associated with it.

<1> Chapman, A., 2004, Prehistoric palaeochannels and a ring ditch at Stanwick Quarry, Northamptonshire (watching brief 2002-2004) (Article). SNN112189.

<1> Chapman, A., 2004, Prehistoric palaeochannels and a ring ditch at Stanwick Quarry, Northamptonshire (watching brief 2002-2004), p.17 (checked) (Full Report). SNN105065.

<2> Keevill G.D., 1990, Archaeological Assessment Report - Irthlingborough: North East, (checked) (Report). SNN102705.

Record last edited

Nov 13 2020 3:00PM