SNN112074 - Thorpe Castle House, Thorpe Waterville, Kettering, Northamptonshire: Archaeological evaluation report

Pre-Construct Archaeological Services Ltd (PCAS) were commissioned by Wythe Holland Limited on behalf of their clients, Mr & Mrs Venn, to undertake a scheme of archaeological evaluation trenching in support of a Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) application for a proposed garden room at Thorpe Castle House, Thorpe Waterville, Kettering, Northamptonshire. Thorpe Castle Lies within the grounds of the Scheduled Ancient Monument of the Castle earthworks and barn at Thorpe Waterville (SAM NN136). The evaluation initially consisted of a 3m x 2m trench in the area of an existing patio; however the area in which the trench was positioned was too small for a trench of this size. Therefore it was decided, after consulting English Heritage, that a 1.5m x 1.5m test pit would be sufficient to evaluate the archaeological potential. The test pit exposed modern and post-medieval deposits, overlying moat deposits beneath: three moat deposits were indentified towards the base of the test pit. They contained a large amount of limestone fragments, suggesting they were part of the backfilling of the moat. Pottery from these deposits has been dated to the medieval period.