EHG5671 - Geophysical survey - proposed new school, Nairn Academy

A geophysical survey was carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in 2022 on land at Nairn Academy. A total of 4 hectares were surveyed. There was a concentration of anomalies of possible archaeological interest in the eastern part of the survey area, adjacent to extant buildings and the artificial pitches. These were tentatively interpreted an enclosure and associated trackways and internal features, potentially of prehistoric date, on the basis of their overall shape and the presence of prehistoric material in a cut feature which is also visible as a positive geophysical anomaly. Their interpretation was complicated by the presence of positive and negative areas of magnetic enhancement, which were either natural in origin (related to periglacial processes) or caused by human activity, whether that be archaeological or more recent (i.e. agriculture or management of the sports pitches). The western part of the survey area contained more of the curved enhanced bands, but rather fewer anomalies of archaeological interest, except for four oval clusters of discrete positive and dipolar anomalies tentatively interpreted as pits or postholes. There were other possible pits in their close vicinity. Along the southern boundary of the survey area on a slight rise and adjacent to rough ground, there were two unusual dipoles of uncertain origin surrounded by a u-shaped area of magnetic enhancement. These were highlighted because the dipolar anomalies are not characteristic of ferrous material, but bear similarities to anomalies shown to be caused by small, buried stone-lined structures in other datasets from comparable geologies. A drain or utility running along the route of a depression that also marks a historic ward boundary and right of way was identified bisecting the survey area. The survey also identified below ground elements of infrastructure associated with the sports pitches, including goal-post holders, field drains and buried electrical cables for floodlights. <1>