Excavations at Larkwhistle Farm, Brimpton, Berkshire

The Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) carried out an excavation on c.8 hectares of gravel terrace south of Brimpton,
at one time part of Brimpton Common, on the south borders of Berkshire. This followed the decision in December
1994 by Berkshire County Council to allow the extraction of gravel from the site by ARC (Planning Application
144973), subject to a legal agreement allowing a programme of archaeological investigation and publication. The
OAU had performed an archaeological assessment of the site in 1987 following the initial proposal for the extraction
of gravel. Excavations in 1995 revealed features of a middle Iron Age date, consisting of one rectangular enclosure,
two associated circular gullies and one four-post structure. The archaeological evidence indicated a settlement
that was short-lived and possibly marginal to a nucleus situated to the south.