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Clifton Quarry, Worcestershire

This is part of a larger magnetic survey of an area of suspected Iron Age & Romano-British activity adjacent to the Severn river. The field had been subjected to regular ploughing and subsoiling, with pottery and metalliferous slag exposed on the surface.

Several small enclosures are clear with the suggestion of a wide track providing access from the top right. The prominent banding at the right hand edge is due to highly magnetic debris (slag, etc.) becoming concentrated by medieval ridge and furrow agriculture.

Below and left of the oval enclosure central within the survey are parts of a rectilinear system of small ditched enclosures. The one immediately adjacent to the oval enclosure contains two strong anomalies marking the sites of probable hearths or kilns.

The site overall is interesting as there are suggestions of continuations of this activity over a much wider area, some of which has yielded Roman debris during fieldwalking, including Roman roof tile. This suggests that there were structures of classical form here as well as the Iron Age / Romano-British enclosures visible in this part of the survey.

Client

Worcester Archaeology