Monument record 0024300000 - THORNEY: TOWER ARMS HOTEL

APs show cropmarks of field system, double ring ditch, (01:000), other circular features, & large keyhole-shaped feature which seems to partly enclose ring ditch. APs show that rectilinear field system respects inner, but not outer, ring ditch (B7,B10).
Partly destroyed by gravel extraction, but remains clear (B9).
An area of raised topsoil susceptibilty in grid W35 was further investigated by the survey carried out in advance of the widening of the M25. A 60m x 60m magnetometer grid was investigated and revealed linear and curvilinear features. The principle feature being a double ring ditch with rings some 4m apart with a diameter of 28m. Other strong anomalies were interpreted as at least four linear striations running diagonally N-S (probably agricultural). A second stong curvillinear feature was noted 12m S of the double ring ditch apparently cut by a 5m x 20m 'trench' possibly from 1960s excavation. Further linear features were noted some 5-6m apart and running NW-SE (possibly modern drainage). Two parallel linears, spaced c25m apart, run SW from the SW side of the double ring ditch and its truncated neighbour (B11).
The survey identified the south-west portion of the scheduled ring ditches. However, the north-east of the monument appears to have been partly damaged or removed by a modern trackway, possibly associated with the M25 embankment works. The survey also identified a network of recti-linear anomalies in close proximity to the scheduled monument. These features are likely associated with the prehistoric ditches discovered during a 1965 excavation for a cable route. The ditches likely form a series of small ditched enclosures or a field system (B12).