Site Event/Activity record ENT5423 - Evaluation at Fairham Pastures, Clifton

Location

Location Fairham Pastures, Nottingham Road, Clifton, Nottinghamshire
Grid reference Centred SK 53724 32598 (1323m by 494m)
Map sheet SK53SW
District Nottingham
Civil Parish Clifton, Nottingham

Technique(s)

Organisation

PCAS Archaeology

Date

Not recorded.

Map

Description

The Fairham Pastures development site is located directly to the south of the town of Clifton, within the north side of Barton in Fabis parish, in the Borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire. The current works areas, Phases 10 and 11, are situated on either side of Nottingham Road. The Phase 10 zone, on the eastern side of the road, is sub-rectangular in shape, with a long axis oriented east to west: it is bordered by field boundaries to the north and east, with a public footpath passing close to its eastern edge; the Phase 2 evelopment area lies to the south. The larger Phase 11 zone extends from the western side of the Nottingham Road to the eastern side of the A453 and is roughly triangular in shape with projecting blocks at its two northern corners. Its north-eastern corner borders a rectangular area of woodland called Heart Lees, which is to be incorporated into the proposed development; agricultural land extends to the south beyond the red-line boundary of the application area, while construction work on earlier phases of the project is in progress in the Phases 1 and 2 zones to the north and east. The evaluation consisted of 37 trenches, all 30m x 2m except for one trench which measured 50m x 2m. As the geophysical survey identified no potentially significant anomalies in the Phase 10 works area and no major linear features already recorded in other works areas are thought to cross it, the trenches have been positioned to give a broad general spread of sampling across the site. In Phase 11, trenches have been positioned to investigate geophysical responses interpreted as representing possible archaeological features and to intercept the possible continuation of the long-distance linear features exposed during Phase 1. None of these appear on the geophysics plot, but previous works phases have established that the site is an unreliable venue for geophysical survey, and even substantial features do not necessarily produce recognisable responses here. Further trenches have been positioned to give a general sample of the remainder of the site. Trenches were excavated under archaeological supervision, using a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless blade. Mechanical excavation removed all topsoil and any subsoils, to the first archaeologically significant horizon or the natural substrate whichever was encountered first. Overall, the evaluation shows a concentration of features in the south-western corner of the Phase 11 works area, where the potential for archaeological remains to survive is higher. The presence of a possible double pit alignments represents the most interesting finding, as this could be a continuation of the pit alignment investigated in the Phase 1 works area. On the other hand, none of the features exposed in the current evaluation seem to relate to those investigated further the east in the Phase 2 mitigation area, which included an east-west oriented pit alignment that does not seem to align with the one exposed in the current evaluation. Therefore, the hypothesis suggested by Savage and Brocklehurst (2021, p. 27) that the pit alignment exposed in the Phase 1 works area and the one exposed in the Phase 2 works area connected across the current site, at the moment, remains unconfirmed.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • --- Unpublished document: Elisa Vecchi. 2025. Phase 10 and 11 Works at Fairham Pastures, Land East of Nottingham Road, Clifton, Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation Trenching Report.

Related Monuments/Buildings (7)

  • Ditch at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Ditch at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Ditch at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Ditch at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Ditches at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Pits at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)
  • Possible Pit Aligment at Fairham Pastures, Clifton (Element)

Record last edited

Jan 20 2026 3:56PM

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