Looking north from this point you can see a long sunken feature between the playing fields and the hedge. This marks the line of Sma’ (Small) Lane, a track which appears on the 16th-century and later estate maps for the area. The hedgerow beside the lane contains a very diverse range of species, which is a clear indicator of its antiquity. If you look inside the hedge you can see intermittent stretches of the associated medieval ditch. The lane runs south, past what is now Arden House, towards the Westwood Games Hall and thus into the Iron Age settlement (see Westwood Iron Age Settlement). The impacted surface of the lane has been confirmed by geophysical prospecting and by excavation. A Neolithic hand axe was found at the north end of the campus beside the lane and it is likely that the lane follows the route of a prehistoric Hollow Way, or road way.

Hollow Way as seen today

Medieval ditch beside Hollow Way

Next site...