Slade End Farm Wallingford

In October 2010 Oxford Archaeology undertook a trench evaluation of land at Slade
End Farm, Wallingford on behalf of PRUPIM. The evaluation confirmed the
presence of Iron Age activity possibly relating to settlement in the southern area of
the site with a particular concentration in the south eastern corner. A number of
ditches which had been re-cut and appear to relate to enclosures noted from aerial
photographs were recorded in association with pits and postholes.
A curvilinear ditch which terminated in Trench 36 and two parallel ditches relating to
a track way recorded in Trench 49 produced Bronze Age pottery and indicate
Bronze Age activity in the general area.
The presence of a partial skeleton which had been truncated by ploughing and three
flint flakes in Trench 7, in the north-west area of the site is an isolated discovery and
does not appear to relate to any of the found features in the area. The flint dates to
the early Neolithic but cannot be firmly associated with the skeleton although it is
probable that the burial is prehistoric.
The low level of features found in the middle and northern areas of the site indicate
a generally low level of activity in these areas. These features contained virtually no
artefactual material and are mostly undated.
A complete absence of Roman finds indicates that Roman settlement found in
previous excavations to the south-west of this investigation does not appear to
extend into this area.
Modern disturbance around a demolished barn was found near to the centre of the
site and modern gravel quarry pits investigated in the northern corner.
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