Introduction
The coast and
intertidal zone has always been modified by the natural process of
erosion and deposition. In response to rising sea levels and faster
rates of erosion (the apparent effects of global warming) the
Government and Coastal Planning Authorities have commissioned the
production of coastal management plans which will determine which
areas are protected from further erosion and which will be left for
managed realignment. In taking these decisions all factors are
taken into account, including the desirability of preserving
archaeological sites and monuments. Unfortunately, the coast and
intertidal zone has been little researched and information about
what sites may be affected is poor. To rectify this, English
Heritage is sponsoring rapid surveys of the intertidal
areas most at risk of change, including Norfolk and
Suffolk.
Air photograph evidence
One element is the plotting of archaeological features from aerial
photographs. Over 1800 new sites have been recorded, the vast
majority of which related to Suffolk’s Second World War coastal
defences as visible on wartime RAF photos. These include extensive
linear defences consisting of minefields, barbed wire, concrete
anti-tank cubes and scaffolding, interspersed with pillboxes and
gun batteries. New sites have also been recorded in the intertidal
zone including oyster pits, fish traps and various wrecks and
jetties, the majority of which are likely to be of medieval or post
medieval date. Recent air photos of ploughed fields adjacent to the
coast and estuaries have identified red areas of soil which are the
remains of late Iron Age and early Roman salterns, known as “red
hills”.
Field survey of the intertidal zone of the Suffolk coast and
estuaries
This was mostly carried out during 2002 and involved a rapid
ground-based walkover of the intertidal zone along the rivers
Blyth, Alde, Ore, Butley, Deben, Orwell and the north bank of the
Stour.
A total of 484 features were recorded - these included docks,
jetties, red hills, tile kilns, fish traps, causeways and pottery
scatters, as well as numerous military structures, hulks and
unidentifiable post alignments. The majority of features remain
undated but a quarter are present on early Ordnance Survey maps.
The most productive estuary was the Stour, centred on Holbrook
Bay, where two fish traps and five timber circles were recorded.
The fish traps, which survive as rows of posts close to the low
water mark with patches of wattle-work alongside, are very similar
to those recorded in the Blackwater estuary in Essex. They were
built as V-shaped structures, with walls of paired upright posts
infilled with brushwood. Baskets or nets were placed at the point
of the ‘V’ and fish were funnelled down to be caught as the tide
went out. Wattle walkways along the walls allowed access at low
tide to retrieve the fish and repair the walls. The three
best-preserved Essex examples were radiocarbon dated and all were
Anglo-Saxon (7th to early 10th century) – the same date has
now been established for the Holbrook Bay find.
Some of the finds scatters, jetties and docks appear to be
associated with existing riverside farms and houses. In the past,
rivers provided a vital and busy network for the transportation of
goods associated with farming and industry, and probably all
riverside dwellings had their own wharf or landing stage. In some
instances, where jetties accessed the rivers below medieval manor
sites, pottery scatters suggested that the site had seen long-term
usage even if structural evidence for earlier periods was no longer
evident.
Ongoing work
English Heritage has supported further detailed
fieldwork on the Holbrook Bay and other inter tidal timber features
and scientific dating. Radiocarbon dating shows that the Holbrook
Bay fishtrap is Anglo-Saxon, probably built between the 7th and the
9th centuries, with a later reuse or repair. Further survey
and dating have also shown that there are Anglo-Saxon wooden
structures, perhaps trackways or simple jetties, in the Alde
estuary near Barber's Point.
A copy of the report on this second phase of fieldwork can be
downloaded:
Please note that this is a fairly large file - click to access
Targetted Survey Report 2007_192
(Acrobat .pdf file, 1.8mb).
The coastal marshlands have been studied and characterised
by Tom Williamson at University of East Anglia as a refinement of
the Historic Landscape Characterisation. It is hoped also that all
the information in the Historic Environment Record (former
Site and Monuments Record) for the coastal zone can be updated to a
consistent standard so that clearer advice for future management
can be provided. At present the sites have all been rapidly scored
to give an indication of relative importance and a summary report
produced on the archaeology of the coastal zone. This report
is available for download:
Please note that this is a fairly large file - click to access
The Archaeology of the Suffolk Coast
(Acrobat .pdf file, 1.7mb).
The air photograph work contributed to an English Heritage
publication on "
Suffolk’s Defended Shore: Coastal Fortifications from the Air"
which is now available.
Some of the earlier reports and information about other coastal
assessments can be found on the English Heritage website.
A policy document about archaeology and the historic
environment in relation to managed realignment in the
coastal estuaries can be downloaded here (Word, 24Kb)
Contact details:
Jude Plouviez
Archaeological Service
Shire Hall
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 1RX
Telephone: 01284 741235
Email:
jude.plouviez@suffolk.gov.uk