Excavation of a 1.7ha area at Beck Row, Mildenhall, revealed activity spanning the Bronze Age to Roman periods. Early Bronze Age features were few, but indicate settlement in the vicinity. During the Iron Age three circular buildings and a ditched enclosure system were established. By the 1st century AD domestic activity focussed on the south-west comer of the excavated area and clearly extended beyond this.
However, a Roman re-alignment and extension of the enclosure system included a large timber aisled building, which was fully rebuilt after burning down and was then abandoned after a second fire in the 3rd century. The building was used for agricultural rather than domestic purposes, possibly as a malt house. The site is viewed in the context of an intensely occupied area along the Fen edge in the Iron Age and Roman period.