Series: Albion Archaeology unpublished report series

A pre-application enquiry was made by Bedford Borough Council regarding construction of a new access route into St Paul's Churchyard, St Paul's Square, Bedford. This will involve works in and adjacent to the churchyard including the removal of a large mound of unknown origin. St Paul's Churchyard is located in the middle of St Paul's Square in the centre of the historic core of Bedford c.100m north of the river Great Ouse. Numerous excavations and discoveries of archaeological material have been made within the immediate vicinity spanning the prehistoric to post-medieval periods. Two trenches were excavated: one across the mound and one within the footprint of the proposed new access route into the churchyard. Trench 1 revealed several deposits which collectively made up the mound. Artefactual material recovered from these indicated that the mound was formed during the 19th century. A large limestone slab was also observed beneath the mound. Five graves thought to date to the 18th and 19th centuries were observed in Trench 2. These were sealed by a topsoil layer and truncated a relatively thick layer of overburden. The evaluation demonstrated the nature, depth and condition of these features. It also indicated the potential for multiple burials at various depths within the development area. Most archaeological investigations within the vicinity of the churchyard have revealed partially truncated archaeological remains. This investigation has revealed graves that have not been subject to the same level of modern truncation, due to the depth at which they occur. This indicates that the development area retains a high archaeological potential.

Human bones were disturbed during the excavation of a pond in the garden of 37 Ivel Road, Sandy. The bones were located to the south-west of the cottage at Ivel Road at an approximate grid location of TL 17619 48721. Archaeological excavation of the bones revealed that they were part of an inhumation burial. The burial consisted of a simple grave cut [3], c. 1.80m long, 0.60m wide and 0.50m deep. The skeleton (4) was laid out supine within the cut with its hands folded across the pelvis. Four iron nails were found with the body, two at the feet, one at the pelvis and one at the left elbow. The position of the nails suggest that they may have held a shroud. A linear orange discoloured stain alongside the body, reported and removed by the construction workers, could also indicate the existence of a coffin. The inhumation represents an isolated burial dating to the Roman period. The burial lies c. 300m west of the centre of the Roman settlement of Sandy. Roman burials are usually located outside the main settlement areas and inhumation burials were excavated along the Stratford Road to the south of the Roman settlement. The existence of a further burial to the west of the settlement near another prospective road is therefore not surprising.

A planning application (CB/13/03924/FULL) was submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) for the erection of two detached dwellings with detached garages and associated works. The site represents ground belonging to 2 Horslow Street, Potton and lies adjacent to 14-16 Bull Street. Though the PDA lies within the postulated extent of the medieval settlement of Potton, the only evidence of medieval activity revealed within the trial trenches was a fragment of probable Tudor brick found within a post-medieval pit. Only post-medieval and modern features were revealed, comprising landscaping features associated with the garden of 2 Horslow Street, some probable rubbish pits and the remnants of two walls. The trial trenching indicates that many areas of the PDA are likely to have been significantly truncated by post-medieval and modern features, particularly within the area of the eastern side of Trench 3 where the undisturbed geological deposits were only reached at a depth of c. 1.2m beneath the ground surface. The level of truncation varied across the rest of the site. Trenches 1-3 showed evidence of heavy tree disturbance, some caused by the recent removal of trees. There were also a number of modern and post-medieval rubbish pits, meaning clean natural deposits were typically not reached until c.0.8m below ground level. The extent of these post-medieval and modern features has left little of the ground undisturbed. Trench 4 had the best remaining natural ground level, reached at c.0.4m below the modern surface. The PDA lies within the grounds of Chigwell House, an 18th-century Grade II listed building and also within the Potton Conservation Area. Although the setting of the surrounding buildings will be affected by the proposed new cottages, this impact will be minimised by careful positioning on the site and by the use of materials sympathetic to the existing structures (TMV Architectural Design, undated).

Planning permission was granted by Central Bedfordshire Council for the construction of a one and a half storey, three-bedroom, detached dwelling and ancillary works on land to the rear of 1 Church Lane, Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, LU6 2DJ. Two trenches, both were 2m wide and 15m long, were investigated. A number of archaeological features were revealed, the majority of which can be confidently dated to the late post-medieval and early modern periods either directly by recovered artefacts or comparability of characteristics. These features were mainly present in Trench 1 and broadly aligned with the boundaries and buildings of the existing property at no. 1 Church Lane which dates to the 19th century. Two undated ditches found in Trench 2 were different in character to the identified post-medieval/modern features. Their alignment is also more in accordance with the properties immediately to the north-east of the DA that front the High Street and may have their origins in the 18th century. They may, therefore, represent earlier post-medieval or medieval boundary features. The majority of archaeological remains found in the trenches are of very limited local interest and relate to activities within the plot from the late post-medieval period onwards. The two undated, though probably earlier, boundary features are of slightly more significance.

While the site lies in close proximity to a Romano-British cremation cemetery excavated 30m to the south-west in the 1980s, no archaeological remains were revealed during the works. This indicates that the cremation cemetery did not extend into the area.

Planning permission was granted for the demolition of an existing detached dwelling and garage and the erection of four detached houses and three detached garages on land at 10 The Green, Bromham, Bedford. On the basis of evaluation results (Oasis id albionar1-144487), a brief outlining the requirements for the Stage 3 archaeological mitigation strategy (HET 2013) was issued. The archaeological work was carried out in accordance with the WSI. The majority of features within the area of investigation are datable to the early medieval period, c. 1150 to 1250, largely based on pottery typologies. Residual late Saxon/Saxo-Norman pottery, datable to c. 900 to 1150, also provided evidence for earlier settlement activity in this location. However, no features could be exclusively dated to the earlier period. The medieval remains included the south-eastern corner of a field and possible associated north-south orientated drove way, a later enclosure system, a furnace, cultivation trenches, a group of pits and a boundary ditch. A modern drain was also encountered. The results of the investigations have made a modest contribution to understanding of the evolution of a small part of Bromham in the late Saxon to early medieval periods. A number of boundaries and land divisions were identified; however, their primary function within the development of the settlement remains uncertain. The recovered artefacts have shed light on the types of ceramics used in the village; have indicated that iron was processed within the community; and have demonstrated that Bromham was integrated in a wider trading network. The small size of the investigation area, in particular, hampered interpretation of the remains.

No archaeological remains were revealed during the works. [Au(abr)]

Planning permission for the construction of nine dwellings at 12 Green Street, Willingham, has been granted by South Cambridgeshire District Council. The initial phase of work comprised trial trenching. The trial trenching was carried out in April 2011 and comprised the excavation of two trial trenchs located within the proposed development area. The trial trenching uncovered two possible sand/gravel quarry pits, five post holes and two service trenches. The quarry pitting is likely to be post-medieval in date and the post holes, modern. The service trenches were related to the house and its outbuildings which were built around the turn of the 20th century. Both trenches also contained several layers of redeposited material which collectively would have significantly raised the ground surface in the area. This may have been necessary to level the natural topography or more likely to infill previous episodes of quarrying activity. None of the archaeological features found during the evaluation are considered to be significant or of particular interest although the recovery of redeposited pottery sherds dating to High Medieval period is of note as it indicates activity of this date in the area, although not necessarily within the boundaries of the site.

A planning application for the construction of almshouses on land at the rear of 13 Bedford Street Woburn. The southern and western parts the evaluation revealed the remains of post-medieval and modern activity in the form of ditches, pits and structures of probable Georgian date. In the north-eastern part of the site were the remains of late medieval/early post-medieval field systems were encountered. Also in the north-eastern part of the evaluation, evidence was revealed for Roman settlement from the1st-3rd centuries AD. This included evidence for late 1st-early 2nd century industrial pottery production in the form of wasters, seconds, fragments of kiln discs/plates and large quantities of pottery. The discovery of 1st-3rd century Roman settlement and industrial activity has pushed back the origins of Woburn by almost one thousand years and it represents the discovery of a hitherto unknown Roman settlement in the eastern region. Despite the evident plough truncation within the area, the presence of a nearby kiln cannot be ruled out. Similarly, the presence of 2nd-3rd century brick demonstrates the potential for significant structures in the vicinity. These remains are considered to be of regional significance and have the potential to significantly add to our knowledge of Roman settlement and local pottery production in Bedfordshire and the east of England.

Albion Archaeology was appointed to undertake a programme of archaeological works to fulfil conditions attached to planning permission granted by Bedford Borough Council. Ground disturbance requiring archaeological observation comprised the hand excavation of two narrow wall footing trenches: one internal, towards the northern limit of the standing building and the second in the yard immediately to the north, comprising a small extension to the existing building. The two trenches uncovered very similar deposits. A number of modern foundations and service trenches were identified cut into a layer of dark soil c. 0.7m thick. All of the exposed structural foundations and service runs were related to the modern use of the site. Where the underlying geology was exposed no evidence was found for earlier discrete features cut into it; nor was any evidence for large-scale disturbance such as cellars or quarrying found.