Land off Cheltenham Road, Evesham, Worcestershire Phase 1 and 2 (OASIS ID: cotswold2-261088)

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in two phases, Phase 1 in January and February 2013 and Phase 2 in January 2015, on land off Cheltenham Road, Evesham, Worcestershire. The earliest features encountered in the Phase 1 excavation area comprised a series of short ditch segments, a number of which were shown to be of middle to late Bronze Age date. These were cut by two Bronze Age gullies, possibly to create a continuous ditch line. The exact function of these features remains uncertain, but it is possible that they relate to land division, form part of a 'territorial marker', or represent the remains of a former causewayed enclosure after the original causeways have been removed to create an uninterrupted ditch. A number of probable Bronze Age pits and a Bronze Age pit/posthole, suggestive of possible occupation, were also identified in the northern third of the Phase 1 excavation area. One of these pits cut the terminal end of a ditch segment and contained a copper alloy spearhead of middle to late Bronze Age date. Evidence of medieval and/or post-medieval agricultural practice, comprising the ploughed out remains of ridge and furrow field systems, was identified across the stripped area of the Phase 1 excavation. Further post-medieval or modern features comprising land drains and drainage gullies were also identified within this area. A post-medieval ditch, probably representing a former field boundary, was identified in the Phase 2 excavation area. No further archaeological features or deposits were identified in this area.