Limekiln Car Park, Ham Hill Country Park. Somerset. An Archaeological Evaluation

Abstract

Between 15th and 18th November 2021, an archaeological trench evaluation was conducted by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) at Ham Hill, Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset; a prehistoric hillfort and a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM 1003678). Four trenches were opened in two areas south of the Limekiln car park, centred ST 480 163. The hilltop was known to have been subject to quarrying since the Roman period with operations considerably expanded during the later nineteenth century. Quarrying activity was revealed throughout the trenches with Trench 1 containing only quarry waste filling a quarried void, with further evidence of quarrying recorded in Trenches 2-4. The foundation of a stone wall was encountered in Trench 2, which corresponds with a structure shown on the 1886 Ordnance Survey map. This was part of a complex of buildings belonging to quarry workings, which were no longer present in the map’s 1906 edition. Iron files and zinc sheet templates were recovered from deposits associated with the building and its demolition, as well as window glass and ceramic roof tiles. A maker’s stamp on one tile fragment may be securely dated to after 1867. Probably a masonry workshop, the ‘floor’ within the interior of the building showed no evidence for having previously been subject to quarrying, though it may have been truncated. Nevertheless, no pre-nineteenth century features were identified.