SNN111034 - An archaeological evaluation at Newlands Road, Welford, Northamptonshire (Phase 2)

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land at Newlands Road, Welford, Northamptonshire (SP 6394 8002) from the 27th to 30th March 2017 by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), on behalf of Mears New Homes Ltd. The fieldwork was a post-determination requirement in advance of a proposed residential development. The archaeological potential for the site was highlighted by its close proximity to the medieval core of Welford and the recently excavated Iron settlement located within Phase 1 of the development to the south. Five trenches totalling 151m in length and 1.8m wide were excavated during the course of the evaluation. The trenches were located in order to target areas of impact from the proposed development. Three of trenches produced positive results. Trench 1 and 2, located at the north-east end of the site (closest to the village) recorded a series of ditches and gullies, pit/post-hole features and a larger cut feature that may represent part of a pond or clay excavation pit. A small quantity of medieval and post-medieval pottery was recovered from some of the features, although the majority were undated. A small sherd of Anglo-Saxon pottery was also recovered from a residual context. The majority of the linear features were orientated parallel or perpendicular to West End, suggesting they form back yard plots relating to properties fronting the road. Trench 5, located at the south-east end of the site, recorded a possible ditch and a curvilinear feature, reminiscent of a roundhouse eaves drip gully. Unfortunately no dating material was recovered from either of these features. The archive will be deposited with Northampton County Council under the accession number ENN 108648.