Iron Age Fortification Beside the River Lark, Mildenhall

Excavations at Mildenhall revealed activity from the Late Bronze Age to the medieval periods. The principal feature was a pair of massive ditches defining the eastern part of an enclosure, built during the Middle Iron Age, possibly to dominate the crossing point of the River Lark. Numerous pits were found inside the enclosure, and a pair of very large post-settings was located between the paired ditches. The ditches fell out of use before the Roman period when a farmstead occupied the higher ground. In this period the floodplain was utilised with a series of field ditches, although the area was prone to flooding in the later Roman period. Throughout the Saxon period, the higher ground was farmed and use of the floodplain was limited by the wet environment. There was a rapid decline in use of the area from the 14th century onwards, and it remained farmland until recent times.