Archaeological Evaluation: Martello Caravan Park, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on land at the Martello Caravan Park, Kirby Road, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. Six 30m long trenches were excavated across the c.9000 sq. m. development area. Archaeological remains dating to the prehistoric and medieval periods were present in three trenches. The main concentration was in the west of the site (Trench 2) where eight shallow pit-like features were investigated of which four contained small amounts of possible Bronze Age pottery. The pits may be part of a structure or area of activity that clearly extends beyond the limits of the trench. A north-west/south-east aligned Bronze Age boundary ditch was identified in the south of the site (Trench 5). The probable Bronze Age remains are likely to be associated with agricultural and/or settlement activity on land close to the marsh edge. Other remains consisted of a small truncated gully of probable Iron Age date (Trench 4) and a pit or ditch of medieval or later date in Trench 2. Passing through the south and east of the site (Trenches 4, 5 and 6) was a boundary ditch depicted on late 19th and early 20th century editions of the Ordnance Survey whose modern backfill included broken pottery formerly belonging to London County Council who used the area as a campsite prior to the Second World War. No remains associated with the nearby Martello Tower were identified.