Archaeology at the Northern Arc
The Northern Arc scheme in Mid Sussex is a 200-hectare strategic 3,500 home development being delivered by Homes England in its master developer role in the South East of England.
The Burgess Hill area is rich in archaeological finds, with excavations in the local area uncovering flint tools suggesting local activity dating right back to the Stone Age. We were keen to uncover the secrets of the site to ensure that our development is respectful of the heritage of the area.
Archaeology is a resource fundamental to understanding our common history. It provides an excellent opportunity to add value to a development through place-making, community engagement and the possible growth of local heritage tourism. All findings from the investigations at Burgess Hill will be entrusted to local museums adding to the understanding of the region’s rich, diverse history.
Archaeology South East conducted site investigations in 2020 and 2021, starting with trenches dug along the line of one of the new roads, to investigate whether any archaeological remains that survived would be adversely affected by any construction work. Layers of topsoil were stripped back to reveal underlying deposits and the area of investigation was later broadened beyond the direct route of the new road.
The investigations revealed interesting findings that showed evidence of continual historical use. There was however nothing of scale that would adversely affect the programme of works on the site.
The most common discoveries were cooking pits located seemingly randomly across the landscape. The presence of a small number of worked flints suggests these may be prehistoric in date. Soil samples are being radiocarbon dated to provide more accurate timescales of the flints. Other interesting finds ranged from a broken Neolithic flint arrowhead to Victorian military buttons, proof that this area of Sussex has been a hub of human activity for thousands of years.
Once post-excavation reporting is completed in May 2021 - all finds, together with the rest of the archive will be offered to the Burgess Hill Museum. The archaeological report will be available in full on the Mid Sussex District Council Planning Portal and a summary of the findings will be included in Sussex Archaeological Collections, the scientific journal for archaeological fieldwork in Sussex.
Interested in finding out more about our work at Burgess Hill? Find out how we’re protecting and enhancing biodiversity at the Northern Arc here.
Image Credit: Simon Stevens and Archaeology South East.