Archaeological investigation by trial-trenching and excavation at The Sweyne Park School, Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9BZ March 2021

An archaeological evaluation (one trial-trench) was carried out on land at The Sweyne Park Secondary School, Rayleigh, Essex, in advance of the construction of a new school block. Six prehistoric features were excavated, originating from two distinct phases of activity. Towards the south end of the trench was a ditch aligned north-west/south-east, containing Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age pottery. The centre of the trench contained a group of features centred around a Late Iron Age curvilinear ditch, including several postholes. These features together may represent the western extent of a roundhouse. Reinforcing this interpretation is the recovery of several large fragments of fired clay, interpreted as being from a wattle-and-daub structure.