Land off Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden, Essex Desk-Based Assessment

Oxford Archaeology East was commissioned by Saffron Walden East Landowners, to carry out an archaeological desk-based assessment of land East of Saffron Walden either side of Thaxted Road and south of Radwinter Road. The aim of the assessment was to define the archaeological potential of the Site in advance of potential redevelopment. The desk-based assessment will be used by the Essex County Council Archaeological Officer to determine the archaeological potential of the site and subsequently the scope of any further archaeological investigation.
Saffron Walden occupies a chalk upland landscape within the Cam valley. The Site is situated on the south-eastern edge of the town and is centred on NGR TL 5520 3780. It comprises more than ten arable fields and several small pasture fields, Shire Hill Farm, Turnip Hall Farm and industrial buildings on Thaxted Road. Aside from these latter three locations most of the Site has never been subject to development or archaeological investigation, except for the former Bell's Brickworks. There are no actual HER records for the Site itself apart from the latter industrial site and pair of lime kilns. However, a study of other sources of evidence, particularly the cartographic sources, has shown that there is a likelihood for pre-medieval field boundaries to be present in some areas and that there is a possibility of earlier clay pits, chalk pits and lime kilns to be present along the Thaxted Road frontage. Additionally although Shire Hill Farm is only known from the later 18th century onwards, and is not known to have been one of the medieval sub-manors, it may still represent a location with a longer history of occupation.
Development of the southern part of the town has brought to light evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age activity. These remains, combined with cropmarks of former field boundaries to the south-west of the Site and Iron Age to Romano-British findspots to the east of the Site, hint at the type of remains that might be expected on the remaining parts of the Site, particularly within its south westerly and eastern extremities.