Archaeological Evaluation. Sheepcote Solar Farm, Land off Witham Road, Cressing, Essex

Five 30m x 1.80m trial trenches targeted on geophysical cropmark anomalies considered to potentially define a rectangular building in the south-east of the site. An archaeological evaluation was carried out within the proposed Sheepcote Solar Farm site. An initial focused trial-trench evaluation comprised the investigation of five trenches. These were targeted on anomalies identified by geophysical survey and cropmark evidence suggestive of a possible structure. All of the trenches contained archaeological remains, comprising ditches, gullies and pits, probably of Late Iron Age date, many of which corresponded with anomalies detected by the geophysical survey. None of these archaeological features were of a structural nature and it was established that no building was present at this location within the site. The recorded remains instead probably constituted a fragment of a Late Iron Age agricultural landscape. Further remains of this land use are likely to be present in the wider vicinity of the south-east of the solar farm site.