SNN116492 - Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation at West Corby SUE, Northamptonshire, October to November 2022

Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) was commissioned by RPS Consulting Ltd on behalf of Taylor Wimpey, Barratt David Wilson (Northampton) and the Pool Trust (Rockingham Castle and Great Oakley Farms Ltd) to undertake a programme of archaeological evaluation on land at West Corby SUE, Corby, Northamptonshire (SP 85548 87770). The overarching archaeological strategy for the development was defined in a Scheme of Archaeological Resource Management (SARM) (RPS 2022) and was required by Condition 15 of the planning consent (reference: 17/00180/OUT).The works were undertaken in advance of the phased construction of Corby Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) development comprising residential, commercial and educational sites. A total of 53 trial trenches were excavated, which revealed the remnants of Iron Age settlement activity, medieval land use and post-medieval to modern field boundaries, as well as several undated ditches and pits. Across all stages of evaluation very few unanticipated significant features were identified. The significant archaeology was found in close association with known sites comprising extensive Iron Age settlement activity as well as Roman features and a medieval hunting lodge. The remaining features were largely peripheral to those foci.