This archaeological survey, to National Mapping Programme standards (NMP), formed part of the Suffolk Aggregates Assessment Project (Project Number 3987) undertaken by Suffolk County Council, funded by English Heritage through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). This project assessed the known archaeological resource in potential mineral extraction areas. The NMP project used aerial photographs to undertake a more detailed survey of sample areas in the Waveney Valley and Felixstowe peninsula.
Central Felixstowe Peninsular
The freely draining soils and intensive arable agriculture meant that cropmarks were the main form of evidence visible on aerial photographs in this area; although some earthworks were visible on areas of heathland, survival was generally poor.
Early prehistoric sites were rare, an important exception being a possible Neolithic cursus in Kirton parish. The distribution of late Neolithic or Bronze Age barrow cemeteries was significantly expanded by the NMP project, throughout this area.
Later prehistoric sites and landscape features are well represented, most particularly by an extensive network of ditched road or trackways, their relationship with settlement sites presenting an important opportunity for future work.
Archaeological sites from the historic periods comprised possible medieval or post-medieval field boundaries, rabbit warren earthworks and park features. As with other coastal or near coastal areas of East Anglia, modern military remains form a significant component of the survey, and Martlesham Heath Aerodrome covered a substantial area of the project area.
This area had already been well documented by the county Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) and traditional development-led archaeological investigations. That the NMP survey has added significant detail to this data illustrates the value of aerial survey to areas potentially threatened by future aggregates extraction.
South Waveney Valley
The NMP results for the Suffolk side of the Waveney valley contrast greatly with the general patterns identified on the Felixstowe Peninsula.
The most noticeable difference is in the significantly lower proportion of sites of prehistoric and Romano-British date visible as cropmarks. This is mainly a consequence of the soils and geology of the area, which are generally not conducive to cropmarks.
The survey was most effective in enhancing the record for earthwork sites of medieval and post-medieval date. Most newly identified sites related to settlements, including a number of probable moated sites, and associated land management and communication features, including extensive water management earthworks.
Of particular interest is the evidence for reduction in settlement size and complexity. This shrinkage of medieval and post-medieval hamlets, and enclosure of common land, contributed to the dispersed settlement character of this area.
Military activity recorded during the project was significantly more localised than on the coast or on the Felixstowe peninsula. Anti-invasion defences were limited to two small areas of aircraft-obstruction and a handful of pillboxes, but civil defence measures were well represented in the towns of Bungay and Beccles. The greatest focus of military activity was in the environs of RAF Bungay.
The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the English Heritage Archive.
For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact us by email via the link above.
