Watching brief by Essex County Council at Family Annexe, Secret Garden, Drury Lane, Ridgewell, 2008 - EEX63373

Archaeological monitoring of groundworks for the construction of a family annexe to the north-west of Secret Gardens (formerly West End House) was undertaken by the Essex CC Field Archaeology Unit on behalf of Mr and Mrs J. Thostrup. The development lies within a medieval moated site, designated a Scheduled Monument (SM 20767). The archaeological work was carried out under Scheduled Monument consent, following advice by English Heritage and a brief issued by the Essex CC Historic Environment Management team. The annexe, covering an area of 8.5 x 9.5m, is located in the south-east of the moated enclosure. The monitoring showed that the area of the annexe had previously been reduced by 0.40m during the construction of earlier outbuildings, down to an orangey/mid-brown chalky clay natural deposit. The ground had been built up with fine rubble and hardcore, with concrete slabs laid on top. No archaeological remains were present, not even truncated cut features (pits and ditches) or residual artefacts. Although the new annexe is within the boundaries of the medieval moated enclosure it appears that any archaeological remains which may have been present have been truncated by the construction of 20th-century outbuildings. It is likely that a 30-40m strip along the Drury Lane frontage has been disturbed by recent buildings, but the moat survives intact in the gardens to the rear and archaeological remains may well be preserved in these areas. NRHE data transfer: A watching brief was maintained during groundworks at the site. No significant archaeology was encountered.