Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 1723: summary

Archaeological evaluation on land at Crown Quarry, Old Ipswich Road, Ardleigh, Essex, CO7 7QR: June-October 2021
by Dr Elliott Hicks (with contributions from Dr Matthew Loughton, Laura Pooley and Alec Wade)

Date report completed: 22/10/2021
Location: Crown Quarry, Old Ipswich Road, Ardleigh, Essex, CO7 7QR
Map reference(s): TM 02574 29773(centre)
File size: 6,657 kb
Project type: Evaluation
Significance of the results:
Keywords: Crown Quarry Old Ipswich Road Ardleigh

Summary. An archaeological evaluation (eighteen trial-trenches) was carried out on land at Crown Quarry, Old Ipswich Road, Ardleigh, Essex, in advance of the construction of a small business park. The site lies within an area which previous archaeological investigations have identified as one of concentrated activity during the Iron Age and early Roman periods, containing, among other remains, a D-shaped enclosure and an annexe likely used for industrial purposes. This evaluation has uncovered a similar concentration of features dating to the Late Iron Age-early Roman transition, but has also revealed evidence of later occupation during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, including a possible well and a possible trackway. Fragments of worked stone which were recovered suggest the presence of a high-status Roman building in the vicinity. A postmedieval or modern ditch which likely represented the remains of a former field boundary was also recorded.