EHG6057 - Trial trenching - new house plot, Heights of Inchvannie

Trial trenching was undertaken by C Dagg in 2023 over an area of proposed development at the Heights of Inchvannie. A rapid walkover survey of the development area and its environs was carried out in advance of any ground breaking work in order to identify any visible archaeological features or areas with archaeological potential. The entire area proved to be grassland sloping gently to the south west with no visible banks or dips suggesting potential for sub-surface features. It was noted that in living memory this area of the field did contain 2-3 large field clearance piles which have subsequently been removed leaving no visible surface trace of their locations. The field has been ploughed for crops then reseeded for grazing. The development area covered an area of approximately 1560m². It was proposed to investigate by trial trench 10% of this area, ie 156m², but the available area was reduced by the steepness of the bank adjacent to the access track curving east and north round the site and by the area taken up by felled tree trunks, so only 137m² were investigated. Two trenches were excavated: Trench A, a long trench, measuring 1.5m in width, ran the full length of the south west boundary; Trench B, a block trench, measuring 7.2m NE-SW by 9.4, NW-SE, covered 68m². The excavations revealed modification of the ground surface, interpreted as levelling up of a natural dip to allow more efficient ploughing, and topsoil finds of artefacts dating to the C20th. Otherwise no finds, features or deposits of archaeological interest were uncovered. <1>