2008:346 - Brooke Hall, Knockbreckan, Down

Excavation of the site at Knockbracken revealed the remains of a possible Bronze Age settlement; however, post-excavation analysis is ongoing. Three areas were excavated, A, B and C. There was a probable house structure uncovered at Area A, a cooking area at Area B with a further settlement at Area C.
Area A contained a curvilinear cut, 8m in length, possibly the remains of a much larger circular cut that had been heavily truncated in antiquity, either through extensive agricultural activity or landscaping.
At Area B there are two features speculated to be burnt mounds; they contained a lot of shattered and heat-affected stone as well as large amounts of charcoal. Each of these areas have what appears to be large pits associated with them; these are commonplace if we are considering these features to be burnt mounds, as these pits (or troughs) are necessary for their function.
The main archaeological feature in Area C was a shallow curvilinear ditch that surrounded an outcrop of bedrock. To the north and the south the ditch was destroyed by two later post-medieval field boundaries. Several archaeological features were present within the confines of the ditch, with the majority of these lying between the ditch and the outcrop of bedrock. Despite the enclosure and features showing little evidence for sustained large scale human occupation, Area C was considered to be the remains of an enclosed Bronze Age settlement or farm, possibly associated with the Bronze Age structure excavated in Area A and the burnt-mound material in Area B.