4.20.24 Thorpe Lea Nurseries, Egham, Surrey, multi-period site

Thorpe Lea Nurseries, Surrey, Iron Age and Roman enclosure ditches during excavation

Excavations funded jointly by EH and Hall Aggregates (South East) Ltd were carried out on the site by the Surrey County Archaeological Unit in advance of gravel extraction. The site lies in the lower Thames valley, in an area that has produced many important archaeological finds, including the recent discovery of the Chertsey shield, the only known example of an Iron Age shield made entirely of bronze. Indeed, archaeological knowledge of the area is very biased to artefactual evidence with only limited knowledge of the settlement context. In contrast to the middle and upper Thames valley, there has been little effective aerial photographic cover, which has encouraged the perception that the density of early settlement here was less intensive or significant than elsewhere. The work at Thorpe Lea Nurseries provides an intensive and extensive sample (c4ha) to compare with other parts of the Thames valley.

The earliest material from the site provides evidence of late Mesolithic or early Neolithic flint working, and a scatter of late-Neolithic pottery. The earliest features are long straight ditches of middle Bronze Age date, of the type frequently identified as ranch boundaries, which probably mark a major reorganisation of the landscape here. One of the ditches produced an important collection of middle Bronze Age pottery, but unfortunately the associated settlement lay outside the excavated area. Late Bronze Age occupation in the form of pits and postholes was recorded at two locations separated by c300m; both settlement areas were quite small and contrast strongly with the more extensive Iron Age settlement. Occupation was continuous from the late Bronze Age

Thorpe Lea Nurseries, Surrey, middle Bronze Age enclosure

to the end of the Roman period, although the focus of the settlement changed at different periods, with the creation and modification of a number of successive of enclosures. Of particular interest is the strong evidence for continuity of the later Iron Age settlement into the early Roman period. These appear to have been farmsteads of no particular status, and it is noteworthy that during the Roman period, there is no evidence of fully Romanized building types, and that the finds assemblage is generally comprised of low-value, relatively unsophisticated items. Direct evidence for agricultural includes wheat and barley production and mixed animal husbandry throughout the Iron Age and Roman periods, as might be anticipated for a settlement with easy access to a wide variety of different environments including river floodplain and heathland. Direct evidence for iron working during the Iron Age is particularly significant, and has rarely been identified in Britain in pre-Roman context. The analytical programme continues, and the preparation of a full report is now well advanced.

Thorpe Lea Nurseries, Surrey, Iron Age enclosure ditch cut by a Roman water-hole