RSPB Rainham, Wennington and Aveley Marshes Reserve, Essex

In September and October 2003 Oxford Archaeology (OA) carried out an archaeological watching brief within Wennington Marsh and the disused MOD rifle range at Aveley Marsh. The work was commissioned by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds during the ongoing development of the marsh as a nature reserve. The work involved monitoring the excavation and desilting of existing drainage ditches. The deposits revealed consisted entirely of Late Holocene estuarine silty-clay alluvium. Excavations did not expose peat or organic deposits, and no significant archaeological remains were identified during this phase of the ditching works.