College Farm, Aynho, Northamptonshire

The Oxford Archaeological unit carried out a field evaluation at College Farm, Aynho, Northamptonshire for Berry Morris Chartered Surveyors on behalf of Mr and Mrs Oakely the landowners. The evaluation compromised 7 trenches, 4 situated in the main farmyard and the remainder located to the south and west of the farmyard. The archaeological evidence from within the farmyard was limited, and comprised a small number of features in the south side of the yard. Prominent among these were two rectangular settings of stone slabs. The absence of datable finds, particularly of medieval material, is worthy of note and suggest that the present farm buildings were the first structures built on the site.
The remaining trenches investigated the walled orchard to the south-west of the farmyard and confirmed that the wall around the present garden is almost certainly the original wall of the orchard shown on early maps. Part of a water channel, which is probably the artificial watercourse shown on early maps, was uncovered. Within the garden a robber trench was located which may mark the line of the original west wall of the orchard.