SNN102329 - Land at Dando Close, Wollaston, Northamptonshire: Phase II Development

Following a request from the Wellingborough Council for further information concerning the archaeological potential of the Phase II Development of land at Dando Close, Wollaston, Northamptonshire the Heritage Network was commissioned by the developer to undertake an archaeological evaluation of the site. The site lies adjacent to the Phase I development site to the west which has been identified as a settlement spanning the early, middle and late Saxon periods. Six trial trenches were excavated across the development area. The only identified feature consisted of a quarry pit, similar to those investigated in the course of the Phase I Development area, which is likely to be post medieval in date. On the basis of the evaluation it is considered unlikely that the development of the present site will affect archaeological remains. The information gained would appear to confirm the theory that the curvilinear boundary which runs to the north-west of the site, represents the limit of Saxon settlement and of archaeological interest.Excavations in advance of the Phase I Development to the west have shown extensive evidence for settlement of early, middle and late Saxon date, including post-built structures and sunken-featured buildings. The southern limit of this activity is defined by a curvilinear boundary which bisects the Phase I site and forms the northern boundary of the present site. An open area excavation followed in 2000 (Turner, forthcoming). This confirmed the findings of the evaluation and revealed a settlement site composed of at least four halls, five or six auxiliary post-built buildings and eight sunken floored buildings (SFBs). The features investigated in the southern and western areas of the site indicate a possible area of industrial activity, in comparison to the more domestic activity encountered in the eastern half of the site. The artefactual evidence indicates that there was no activity on the site prior to the C5th AD despite the presence of Roman remains to the west. Occupation of the site continued at least into the C10th AD. Apart from the intrusion of several quarries during the medieval and post medieval periods, the site showed no evidence for occupation activity from the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. In 2002 a small excavation on an extension to the Phase I Development to the north, was carries out by Heritage Network (Turner and Lightfoot, forthcoming). This work confirmed the presence of Saxon features extending towards the Hinwick Road. This area was highly disturbed by modern and late post medieval activity.