A 1.2m wide linear ditch cutting into the natural orange red clay was recorded within the south-east facing section of the deeper foundations to the south-eastern end of the site. It was not visible within the north-west facing section due to modern truncation, therefore an orientation of north-west to south-east is tentatively suggested based on the regularity of the sides of the feature visible in section.

U-shaped in profile, it measured 0.78m deep but may have been deeper prior to the reduction of the ground level and the deposition of modern hardcore layers during the demolition of previous standing buildings and the works that followed prior to and during this watching brief.

Due to the depth of hardcore above linear ditch, further investigation was not possible and therefore no dating evidence was retrieved from the strong brown silt clay fill of the ditch.

However, features similar in shape, size and fill composition have been found on other archaeological
investigations within 0.5km of the site, and could therefore suggest a possible medieval date.

However, one other (more likely) possibility is that it could be the remains of an 18th century field boundary orientated north-west to south-east, which is visible on Sanderson’s Map of 1835 through to the Ordnance Survey maps of the 1950’s.

Laura Parker, 2020, Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Cotgrave Shopping Centre, Candleby Lane, Cotgrave (Unpublished document). SNT5498.