Wansunt Pit, Crayford Post-Excavation Assessment

Archaeological excavation and concurrent geological investigations took place at Waysunt Pit between June and August 2000 in advance of housing development by Taywood Homes. Deposits at Waysint Pit (the Waysunt Loam) have previously produced important Palaeolithic archaeological and Pleistocene geological evidence. This assessment report considers both investigations and presents an integrated approach to further analysis and reporting.

The area under archaeological investigation at the eastern edge of Waysunt Pit contained no remnant of the Waysunt Loam. The upper part of the Pleistocene Dartford Heath Gravel was seen, overlain by a sedimentary unit 50-80 cm thick of banded sands and sandy silts, probably of Pleistocene colluvial origin, and sloping downhill to the north, parallel to the existing ground surface. A few derived and transported Palaeolithic artefacts were found in the upper part of Dartford Heath Gravel. The archaeological excavation also led to the exposure of a sequence of colluvial and possible also ploughed Holocene deposits containing a range of lithic and pottery evidence from the Neolithic and maybe also subsequent periods.

The geological investigations exposed Pleistocene sediments, including the Wansunt Loam, at several locations in the eastern part of the quarry. Twelve Palaeolithic artefacts (all flint flakes) were found in the Wansunt Loam at one location (Geological Section 1). These were mostly in very sharp condition, suggesting a minimum of disturbance, and two of them refitted, supporting the notion that there is an undisturbed occupation horizon at this location