Land North of Stansted (Phase 1, Primary Substation Site), Essex

Between 9th to 24th May 2023, Oxford Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation at Land North of Stansted in Essex, in advance of the construction of a new electrical substation as part of the wider development of a new logistics hub at Stansted Airport.
A total of 46 trenches were excavated. Of these, 23 trenches revealed archaeological remains. The vast majority of the features identified could not be dated. A single pit dating to the Early Iron Age was recorded, from which a sizeable assemblage of pottery was recovered, potentially indicating settlement activity in the immediate vicinity. A series of Middle Iron Age pits and ditches were also identified in the central and southern parts of the site and suggest the area comprised the agricultural hinterland of the nearby Middle Iron Age settlements identified during previous excavations in the Stansted landscape.