Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 2080: summary

Archaeological evaluation Phase 2d at Fiveways Fruit Farm, Dyers Road, Stanway, Colchester, Essex, CO3 0QR: July-August 2024
by Laura Pooley (with contributions from Dr Matthew Loughton)

Date report completed: September 2024
Location: Fiveways Fruit Farm, Dyers Road, Stanway, Colchester, Essex, CO3 0QR
Map reference(s): TL 9562 2350 (centre)
File size: 6,456 kb
Project type: evaluation
Significance of the results:
Keywords:

Summary. An archaeological evaluation (29 trial-trenches) was undertaken at Fiveways Fruit Farm, Stanway, Colchester, as part of a phased evaluation scheme in advance of the construction of a new housing estate. This report details the results of Phase 2d of the evaluation. Located close to the nationally important Iron Age and Roman site at Gosbecks Archaeological Park, the development site is immediately north of three Iron Age enclosures and the Stanway élite burial site of four Late Iron Age funerary enclosures. The Phase 2d evaluation did not reveal any significant archaeological remains. Of the 57 features excavated there were 23 ditches/gullies and 34 features identified as pits/treethrows/ silt patches, with another 29 silt patches that were not excavated. Finds were extremely rare with only one sherd of medieval pottery, three very small fragments of ceramic building material (peg-tile and post-medieval/modern brick) and a tiny piece of baked clay recovered. It is highly likely that most, if not all, of the features are associated with agricultural activity at the Fruit Farm.