EHG6149 - DBA and walkover survey - proposed quarry extension, Park Quarry, Nairn

A desk-based assessment and walkover survey were carried out by Rathmell Archaeology in 2019 in advance of a proposed extension to the existing Park Quarry near Nairn. The field survey was undertaken to assist in the characterisation of those monuments previously identified by the desk-based assessment and to identify any additional upstanding archaeological sites. Site locations surveyed through the use of a DGPS system (Leica GS50) were subsequently identified on base maps. The potential for the presence of currently unknown archaeological features within the ground was assessed to be low. While the wider landscape, which is dominated by arable farming, has revealed a number of historic environment sites (potentially prehistoric in date) as cropmarks caused by differential vegetation growth, no comparable sites have been identified within the development area or in the surrounding buffer, potentially reflecting a real absence rather than differential discovery. It was however, considered possible that some or all of a rural settlement named ‘Park,’ shown on Roy’s Military Survey of 1747-52, lies within the limits of the development area and that features associated with this rural settlement still survive. In order to identify and define the limits and extent of any as-yet unknown archaeology, it was recommended that a programme of archaeological works be agreed with the planning authority. This would probably include an intrusive evaluation through trenching to identify currently unknown archaeological sites, targeted monitoring during ground-breaking works or localised open area excavation and an appropriate programme of post-excavation analyses and publication. <1>