Highlands Farm Pit
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU743813 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 0.6 | 2023-08-01 |
Description
Area, 0.6 hectares 1.4 ac Description This site is the last available exposure of the gravel flooring the abandoned channel of the Thames between Caversham and Henley the 'Ancient Channel', which existed in this area during the Ice Ages, although its relationship to the Thames Terrace sequence is uncertain. It has recently been assigned to the Black Park Terrace which is of Late Anglian age. Palaeolithic flints discovered in large numbers at this site over the last century must therefore be some of the earliest artefacts of their kind known. The uncertainty of the Terrace stratigraphy in the Ancient Channel and the considerable historical importance of this pit, the most extensively studied and prolific of the palaeolithic gravel exposures in the Ancient Channel, make this a crucial site.