Area EF

Sunken feature

 

These trenches were extensions of Trench A /2 which is chiefly our Mesolithic house structure. It was hoped if A/2 was extended we would find more of the green floor and yellow stony layer. We did find the floor, but only a small part of the stony layer continued in this trench at the north west end. However, the slots cut into the stony layer do continue in this area and tantalizingly disappear under the north baulk. An area we plan to excavate in 2005 season. The green floor Area EFcontinues and levels off to make a uniform platform. The stake lines in the yellow stony layer of A/2 continue also but are set directly into the green clay an make a clear outline of an oval structure.

   The working area outside the house is covered with a dense layer of clay too to presumably stabilise the surrounding peat covered sand. Where the yellow stony layer stops a deep river gravel pit appeared almost the entire length of E and F. At the north easterly baulk edge on top of this gravel is another green clay deposit presumably another floor in the area we plan to excavate this season. A layer of this gravel was removed to find out if this was a possible sunken floor that had been filled with gravel during a flooding event. However, there appears to be traces of a stone floor underneaEF Sunken Featureth which is of course disappearing under the baulk too.

   On the main green platform there are clear indications of water erosion this indicates that the structure  was exposed to the elements for some considerable time after abandonment. Presumable after the roofing and stakes decomposed the platform was kept clear of vegetation due to flooding events. Therefore allowing rainwater to cut gullies into this dense clay deposit.

     During excavation we noticed that there were a number of rectangular cuts through the topsoil indicated by the mixed green clay with the topsoil. These we later discovered were the 17th century feather pits described in the feather pit headings on the site.