Monument record 0065301001 - West of Ashendon Road, Westcott

Limestone walls found during trial trench evaluation. Constructed upon a large plateaux/buikding platform. Bounded on the NE and SW by large parallel ditches. The building comprised the NE and SE walls with evidence of a third wall to the SW. The walls extend NW beyond the trench limits. Walls constructed using various sized limestone roughly hewn into square and rectangular pieces. The larger pieces were laid in irregular courses with smaller rubble pieces between. Foundations survived to a depth of 0.30m. Bonding material appears to be chalky lime mortar. Tile dating to the 14th century was recovered from between the stone. Near the SW corner there appeared to be a possible entrance formed 2 large rectangular flat stones with a row of smaller square stones behind. There was no evidence of an internal floor. The interior of the building appears to have naturally infilled after going out of use. SE corner has been constructed over a an infilled pit pottery from this dates to between the 11th and 12th centuries. Due to the materials used in the construction it is thought that the building was relatively high status due to demand of limestone after the Norman Conquest (B5).