First documented in 2001 when it was still visible in the lowlying pasture just 100 metres from the River Swilly, this ancient site presented itself as a low, circular platform measuring approximately 41.5 metres north-northwest to south-southeast and 40 metres east-northeast to west-southwest. The platform was defined by a broad scarp, with faint traces of a levelled bank at its upper edge and the remnants of an infilled fosse, or defensive ditch, at its base. The fosse appeared as a waterlogged depression on the eastern side but could only be traced as a cropmark around most of the circuit, with possible evidence of a counterscarp bank beyond it.

Archaeological testing in February 2002, conducted before the sports complex construction, revealed intriguing if inconclusive findings. Three machine-cut test trenches in the enclosure’s interior exposed a stratigraphy of bog-land deposits overlying natural clay, with charcoal lenses discovered in two of the trenches. Unfortunately, development groundworks prevented the investigation of the enclosing fosse itself, and no artefacts were recovered that could definitively determine the site’s original purpose or date. The centre of the platform appeared slightly dished in profile, whilst levelled remnants of later field boundaries bisected the enclosure, suggesting the site had been incorporated into the agricultural landscape long before its modern rediscovery.

Rather than destroy this archaeological feature, the developers took the sensible approach of preservation in situ. The entire location was covered with terram, a protective geotextile membrane, and the ground level was raised by half a metre, effectively sealing the enclosure beneath the new sports complex. This thoughtful solution ensures that whilst local residents enjoy their modern facilities above, the ancient earthwork remains undisturbed below, waiting for future generations who might possess the technology and knowledge to unlock its secrets.