Possibly Bronze Age pit, car park site, London Southend Airport (EHER 48095)

A watching brief in 2010 recorded just one prehistoric pit, thought to be probably Bronze Age due to its proximity to nearby Bronze Age remains (EHER 16956, EHER 18227 and EHER 46224).

April-May 2010. Watching brief. Within the area of the water tank excavations, a number of modern intrusions and petrol contamination were observed, all probably 20th century and associated with a World War Two airfield building that formerly sited at this location. Whether the bland 0.7m-thick deposit of yellow-brown possible brickearth-type material through which these modern features cut constituted a true overburden deposit is uncertain. However, it contained no artefacts of any date and no pre-modern features could be discerned within it. The only archaeologically-significant feature was the base of an elongated oval pit (Pit 002) that was identified ‘below’ this dubious overburden deposit. The shallow pit remains measured 2.35 x 1.45m and contained a yellowy mid-brown fill from which two pieces of worked flint debitage was retrieved. A prehistoric date for the pit is probable, as is its association with Bronze Age remains found by trenching and monitoring in the surrounding vicinity (EHER 16956, EHER 18227, EHER 46224). <1> See also <2>.