Wakerley, Northamptonshire
An initial desk-based assessment, followed by geophysical survey, fieldwalking and trial trenching, was carried out on a 140-hectare site at Wakerley, in the Welland valley, to inform proposals for the development of an ironstone quarry.
The assessment revealed that the area contains remains dating from the prehistoric periods to the Second World War. Evidence of widespread Iron Age and Roman activity was recorded in the 1960s during excavations in advance of quarrying adjacent to the assessment site. The area was of considerable importance during the Second World War, when the American Air Force constructed an airfield known as Spanhoe. World War II structures were recorded across the site, and aeroplane enthusiasts currently use part of the former airfield.
Examination of aerial photographs for the assessment revealed a number of enclosures on the site. Prehistoric flint artefacts were recovered during fieldwalking, and a number of concentrations of slag were identified, indicating the presence of iron-smelting in the Iron Age or Roman periods. These findings were broadly supported by the results of the geophysical survey, which also revealed evidence of further enclosures and a variety of other features.
Trial trenching located a complex of late Iron Age or early Roman furnaces, along with evidence for Roman agricultural activity, including corn dryers and enclosure ditches. A substantial quarry pit was also recorded. Evidence for Saxon iron smelting was also identified, including possible ore roasting pits, channel hearths and furnaces.
