Philadelphia Lane

This group of seven pits was identified during trial trenching in advance of development (event 5504 report 2023/44) and then subject to further excavation (event 5505). The pits were overlain by a layer of colluvium and located close to a former natural water feature. They were filled by charcoal and burnt stone which was considered characteristic of prehistoric activity associated with burnt mounds, which may have been used for cooking or industrial activities during the period from the Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples indicated a date (68.3% probability) between 2720–2360 calBC and 2100–1660 calBC during the Early Bronze Age. No artefacts were recovered from the pits which were interpreted as the truncated remains of Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age burnt mound activity.