| Zone | Layers | Context no. | Sediment | Vegetation inferred from plant remains | Artefacts | Worked wood preservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BL02-09 83 | Woody peat with later root mat intrusion perhaps from Populus sp. (species ID not possible due to poor preservation); orange-brown in colour on exposure. | Little survives; mainly evidence of Populus sp. | None (6 lithics elsewhere in trench) | Poor: decayed wood, humified peat, and bud-scales and seeds decayed. | |
| 2 | BL10-14 84 | Granular woody detritus; change in texture and change in colour (greenish-brown on exposure, with bioturbation from layer above). | Little survives; mainly evidence of Populus sp. and Cladium mariscus with other fen taxa. | None (4 lithics elsewhere in trench) | Poor: wood rather degraded. | |
| 3 | BL15-28 84 | Sediment similar to zone 2 but greyer and darker under microscope and also characterised by the presence of charcoal and to some degree containing more roundwood. Some possible evidence of humified peat being worked into the sample, perhaps a result of trampling and erosion of bank. | Similar to above with mainly Populus sp. and Cladium mariscus and other fen taxa; aquatic species present but in very small numbers. | 1 piece of flint (and 'jelly bone', lithics and antler in excavation on site – 4 lithics elsewhere in trench). | Parallel-sided woodworking debris (one piece charred) | Non-wood macrofossils better preserved than in layers above, but artefacts found in trench very flattened and jelly bone a product of extreme acidity; some pyritised organic material. |
| 4 | BL29-33 84/93? | Woody detritus peat; some charcoal; distinguished as a zone on account of presence of larger timber elements. | Populus sp., but fen taxa less prevalent. | None | Only possible hewn timber in block (Populus sp.) | Some degradation and variable preservation of bud-scales, traces of pyrites. |
| 5 | BL34-48 93 | Woody and twiggy detritus peat (turned greenish on exposure), some silt in top layers possibly indicating disturbance on bank; many large pieces of wood and more of it than layers above. Within trench 'brushwood' on top and then what appears to be laid timbers – though this was not observed in block. | Populus sp. prevalent, aquatic plants (Nymphaea alba and Potamogeton sp.) more prevalent than above. | None (1 piece of antler in 'brushwood' matrix in trench further upslope and 4 pieces of flint elsewhere in trench) | Some parallel-sided woodworking debris. Large piece of Salix sp. in layer 44, which may be a large piece of a coppice stool; may also be beaver-gnawed but the saw cut through vital part. | Preservation generally good, orange staining in bags in which residues were stored from 42 downwards. |
| 6 | BL49-54 97 | Twiggy, slightly sandy detritus peat. | Similar species to Zone 5. | None (2 pieces of flint from elsewhere in trench) | None | Well preserved, mostly well-preserved bud-scales and propagules, beetles well preserved though fragmented, orange staining of bags. |