| Title: |
Archaeological Investigations at the Former site of Townmead School, West Drayton |
| Number of Pages: |
124 |
| Biblio Note |
Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database.
The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions.
|
| Publication Type: |
Report
|
| Abstract: |
An archaeological excavation and watching brief was undertaken in response to a condition upon the residential redevelopment of the site. The earliest datable archaeological evidence was in the form of a hearth in the southern area of the site, of probable Early Iron Age date. The hearth and a nearby pair of seemingly contemporary east/west orientated linear ditches 2m apart, were sealed below alluvium which was deposited during later flooding of the River Colne floodplain. The double ditch was interpreted as a trackway. The ditches contained a few worked flints of Bronze Age or later date and a collection of burnt flint. A further curving feature, possibly a ditch terminus, also in the southern site area, contained a dump of burnt flint and charcoal from a fire or burnt mound. The feature could not, however, be dated with any confidence to the prehistoric period. A north-east/south-west orientated ditch within the access road in the cantre of the site contained a single flint flake, probably Bronze Age, but the ditch could not be dated with any confidence. A fourth ditch, orientated east-west, was noted both during the evaluation and the excavation in the western area of the site. The ditch contained very few finds but was provisionally dated to the Roman period, based on relatively large sherds of Roman pottery. The ditch was typical of a field boundary and there was no evidence that it was near a contemporary settlement. Several pit or probable pit features were excavated. None of these produced dating evidence. The alluvium derived fills, however, may have indicated the they were inundated during the late prehistoric flooding of the site, a suggestion supported by alluvium deposits above the Early Iron Age hearth feature. In the western area of the site was evidence of narrow and shallow ancient watercourses orientated north-east/south-west, cut into the gravel. In the southern central and south-eastern area of the site were similar watercourses orientated roughly north-south. These features were tentatively dated to the late prehistoric period. The sparse distribution of finds within the archaeological features strongly suggested that the area was not settled. The double ditched track and hearth indicated prehistoric activity in the landscape possibly associated with farming on the edge of the floodplain, and/or the exploitation of wetland resources during periodic incursions. The Roman ditch probably indicated the use of the gravel terrace for farmland at this time. [Au] |
| Author: |
Robert Masefield
|
| Publisher: |
RPS Group Ltd
|
| Year of Publication: |
1999
|
| Locations: |
| Location - Auto Detected: |
River Colne |
|
| Subjects / Periods: |
| Bronze Age (Auto Detected Temporal) |
|
ROMAN
(Historic England Periods)
|
|
|
LATER PREHISTORIC
(Historic England Periods)
|
|
|
EARLY IRON AGE
(Historic England Periods)
|
|
| Prehistoric (Auto Detected Temporal) |
|
| Note: |
Date Of Issue From:
1999
Date Of Coverage From:
01
Date Of Coverage To:
01
Editorial Expansion:
Site name: FORMER SITE OF TOWNMEAD SCHOOL, WEST DRAYTON
Study area:
Investigation type: Post-determination/Research
District: Hillingdon
Monument: FEATURE. Roman (AD43-410), DITCH. Prehistoric, HOLLOW. Prehistoric, HEARTH. Early Iron Age, GULLY. Undated, FEATURE. Undated, FEATURE. Post-medieval (1540-1901), [finds]. Modern (1901-present), HOLLOW. Undated, BOUNDARY DITCH. Roman (AD43-410), POST HOLE.
Ngr: TQ05707882
Parish:
Postcode: UB7 7EA
|
| Source: |
BIAB
(Archaeological Investigations Project (AIP))
|
| Created Date: |
18 Jan 2009 |
