Devon County Council Historic Environment Record 

Civil Parish:
Abbotsham and Northam
	National Grid Reference
(8-figure NGR)
SS43292757
	Number: (Leave blank)	
Subject: Archaeological watching brief on groundworks at Kenwith Castle Residential Home, Abbotsham

Planning Application no: 1/1232/2006/FUL	Plan/Photo attached?      N

(should show the location of areas investigated excavated and features exposed)	
Description of works.
Groundworks associated with the construction of 15 new units of close care accommodation at Kenwith Castle were monitored by South West Archaeology (SWARCH) staff. The work conformed to a written scheme of investigation (WSI) drawn up by SWARCH in consultation with Devon County Historic Environment Service (DCHES).
Excavation was carried out using a toothless grading bucket under constant archaeological supervision.

The area of development, to the east of the present home, was first stripped of topsoil in toto. In the northern half of the site, this revealed natural shillet immediately below topsoil. No features were evident cut into the shillet. In the north-east corner the dumping of modern materials (including builder's waste) had involved the removal of part of the hedgebank to accomodate the waste. At the western edge of the waste was a structure, 2.5m in length running east -west. This appeared to be a stone capped drain, cut into the natural shillet to the north, with an internally faced, clay-bonded stone wall to the south. Capstones only remained at the east and west ends of the structure, so a section of the fill in the middle was removed. This had root interference and probably represented backfill following removal of the capsones rather than silting. No finds occurred to date the structure. No further evidence of the structure remained to the west; to the east a channel curved uphill into the bank but may have represented a root truncated by the modern dump. 
The function of the structure may be a residual part of a drain to divert the downflow of water from the north but the small part remaining makes firm interpretation difficult. The structure is some 8m north of the nearest proposed dwelling and should be unaffected by development.

In the south-west quarter of the site the topsoil strip revealed east/west concrete foundations some 44m in length, presumably relating to either former chicken pens or greenhouses (the site was once a conifer nursery). They extended some 15m on a north/south axis.
 
In the south-east quarter stripping initially revealed natural shillet. As the grading progessed downslope to the west however, a linear filled with grey silty clay, running north/south, could be discerned. With the agreement of the contractor a small trench was dug across it and revealed a field drain (a cylindrical terracotta tile pipe overlaid with demolition rubble). To the west of this, further areas of modern dumping were evident (mechanical debris and fuel disposal staining). 

Conclusions
Pottery from the site was predominantly post-medieval and C19/20, with only a few sherds of medieval ware. This accords with documented occupation of the site.
Noteworthy finds included a few sherds of North Devon sgraffito and a rope handle.
The shallowness of natural in the north half of the site provided, in effect, a site evaluation of some 50%, with no features being discerned. Where modern intrusions had not affected the southern part of the site, grading often revealed shillet natural here as well.

 

	Reference.

	Date.
of site visit(s)
24.4.07
26.4.07
27.4.07
30.4.07	
Recorder (name and organisation)
Chris Preece (SWARCH)	Date sent to HER	

Please email completed form to:  archaeol@devon.gov.uk or post to County Archaeology Service, Environment Directorate, Matford Lane Offices, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QW.  Information recorded on this form will be added to the Historic Environment Record, and made available to all researchers.  
Any plans or photographs embedded within or attached to this form remain the copyright © of the recorder, and must not be reproduced in any publication without the explicit consent of the copyright holder.