Site Event/Activity record ENT5266 - Topographic Survey at Toton Manor Farm Recreation Ground, Toton
Location
Location | Toton Manor Farm Recreation Ground, Toton |
---|---|
Grid reference | Centred SK 50136 34314 (461m by 292m) |
Map sheet | SK53SW |
District | Broxtowe |
Civil Parish | Beeston and Stapleford, Broxtowe |
Technique(s)
Organisation
Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust
Date
Not recorded.
Images (0)
Documents (0)
Description
A series of specialist survey techniques over a 5ha area at the site of Toton Manor Farm Recreation Ground in Nottinghamshire as part of the 'Toton Unearthed' project.
The techniques applied included Lidar survey, geophysical (geomagnetic) survey and topographic survey (using a combination of laser scanning, hand survey and walkover survey).
The site was surveyed using a Leica HDS6100 phase-based terrestrial laser scanner, set to ‘high’ resolution. This produced a point cloud with a point spacing perpendicular to the scanner of 6.3mm at 10m from the scanner. An overall minimum resolution of 100mm (i.e. one measured 3D survey point in every 100mmx100mm square of ground) was targeted, but the nature of the collection process ensured that much denser data than this was be collected in many areas.
22 overlapping and intervisible survey stations provided coverage of all surveyable areas. These individual scan locations will be linked together by intervisible tilt-and-turn targets.
Survey control was provided by a survey-grade Leica Viva CS15/GS15 RTK-enabled GNSS (GPS) system.
No data was collected within the areas of dense undergrowth, which were targeted using the hand survey method. The two methods were afterwards integrated by locating the hand-drawn plans within the interpreted laser scan results.
Much of the survey area was covered in long grass, which will result in lower-quality data. The cricket pitch, which has been levelled to be completely flat, was not surveyed due to the lack of topographic information it would provide.
Although the registered point cloud data was processed with the ground-finding algorithm within Cyclone II Topo, the length of grass and scrub on the site proved extremely challenging. The software struggled to extract an accurate ground surface from the resultant data, producing a result with a low degree of confidence.
False-colouring the 'rough' point cloud data does however extract the general topography of the site fairly well. Plane shading - colouring by elevation - shows the surviving ridge-and-furrow quite clearly and also a water channel, including the north-western section to the north of the bushes. The mown path and its relationship to the ridge-and-furrow is also visible.
The walkover survey took the form of a site visit with the aim of identifying and interpreting earthworks and topographic anomalies, particularly in areas of dense vegetation. Where possible, reference photographs were taken with a digital camera and located on the master plan.
The walkover survey identified several topographic anomalies, which were recorded using a combination of hand-drawn offset survey and photography.
The earthworks identified are interpreted as follows:
- Ridge and furrow: Evenly-spaced undulations in varying states of preservation were identified and photographed in the long-grassed fields to the west of the cricket pitch. Because these earthworks were also clearly visible in part in the Lidar and laser-scan data, they were not individually drawn but the general area is annotated on the plan. However, the walkover survey was also able to determine that the ridge and furrow continued into areas of vegetation to the immediate south-west and north-east of this open field, where they were surveyed in by hand.
- Four channels: The location of apparent previous water courses as identified by the topographical survey is in general agreement with the location of the mill as proposed by the previous geophysical
survey and by map regression. Channels 1, 2 and 3 may represent different phases of mill leats or races that made a southwards return (channel 4) back to the main course of the river Erewash.
Sources/Archives (1)
- --- SNT4978 Unpublished document: G. Carver, P. Johnson, D. Strange-Walker, R. Townsend, S. Malone & J. Walker. 2014. Toton Unearthed, Toton Nottinghamshire: Report on an Integrated Field Survey Conducted at Toton Manor Farm Recreation Ground, April-May 2014.
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
- MNT28550 Leats and Water Channels at Toton Manor Farm Recreation Ground, Toton (Element)
Record last edited
Feb 26 2025 4:28PM