An archaeological evaluation by trial-trenching at the Great Notley ‘Hungry Horse’ site (Skyline 120 Business Park), Queenborough Lane, Braintree, Essex: July 2012

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on land off Queenborough Road ahead of the construction of a ‘Hungry Horse’ establishment. The site (0.63ha) is located 450m east of a farmstead originating in the Late Iron Age that was expanded in the later 1st or early 2nd century AD and continued in use into the 2nd century AD.
The site was evaluated by excavating five trial-trenches totalling 140m in length. As a result, three modern features were recorded and four prehistoric worked flints were recovered. The absence of any Late Iron Age/Roman features or finds indicates minimal activity associated with the farmstead to the south-west. It is possible that this area may have been heathland during this period as has been suggested for adjacent areas (CAT Reports 337 & 433).