A new monument type for the New Forest: excavation of a Late Iron Age/Early Roman 'Platform Site' at Leadenhall, Godshill, 2015.

As part of its comprehensive and detailed survey work in the Open Forest, the New Forest History and Archaeology Group survey team located a circular feature terraced into the valley side at Cockley Bushes, Leadenhall (Site 59/09; NGR SU 198155). This appeared to be similar to later prehistoric house platforms, but was a single example rather than the groups of such monuments as usually found. Accordingly, the site was investigated by excavation in August 2015, with the unexpected result that the platform was not for habitation, but appeared to be linked to charcoal-burning. Finds were very few, being limited to a small number of struck flakes and a quantity of fire-affected flint. Large pieces of charcoal were also recovered, and radiocarbon dates from these yielded dates of 2046 ± 35 BP and 1939 ± 35 BP, placing the platform site into the Late Iron Age to Early Roman period.