SNN117077 - WOOD LODGE SOLAR FARM, THRAPSTON, NORTHAMPTONSHIR: ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRIAL TRENCH EVALUATION

Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd was commissioned by Lighthouse Development Consulting on behalf of Wood Lodge Solar Limited (the Client) to undertake a trial trench evaluation for a proposed solar farm development at Wood Lodge Farm, Thrapston, Northamptonshire. The work was undertaken to determine the presence and potential of sub-surface archaeology as indicated by geophysical survey, and to test blank areas to determine the presence of archaeological features that were not captured by non-intrusive means.A total of 126 trenches were excavated of which 59 did not contain archaeology. The investigation corroborated to a large extent the results of the geophysical survey and confirmed the presence of three main foci of archaeological activity across three of the four fields within the site boundary. At each location previously detected geophysical anomalies indicative of multiple, clustered enclosures of varying size and shape were partially uncovered within the trenches as were the remains of trackways and some discrete features. The main periods represented on the site are Iron Age and Roman with a small amount of earlier prehistoric and post-medieval material present