SNN109856 - Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at The Proposed Weekley-Warkton Link Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire Archaeology conducted an archaeological desk-based heritage assessment of land at the proposed Weekley-Warkton Link Road, near Kettering, Northamptonshire. The proposed road corridor is located within part of the Grade I Registered Park of Boughton and lies adjacent to the villages of Weekley and Warkton, both of which have Conservation Areas and a number of Listed Buildings. There is scant evidence for early prehistoric activity. Although there is little definitive evidence of late Iron Age/Roman activity within the study area, there is extensive evidence in the vicinity, with Kettering small town located 400m to the west, a villa complex 250m to the north, as well as numerous small, rural farmsteads. A scatter of early/middle Saxon pottery has been identified which may indicate the presence of a small dispersed settlement. Documentary evidence also suggests that a small hamlet, known as Walcot, may have been located within the study area. Ridge and furrow earthworks have been identified in a number of fields within the study area; those closest to Warkton are considered to be of at least Regional significance. A small part of the northern part of the study area was quarried for ironstone in the 20th century and there is no potential for archaeological remains in this area. Otherwise there is little evidence of any significant ground disturbance. In the remainder of the study area it is considered that there is a moderate/high potential for archaeological remains, particularly Iron Age/Roman and/or Saxon activity.