Series: one ten archaeology unpublished report series

An archaeological evaluation was carried out during October 2016 at 2 Abbey Cottages, Abbey Precinct, Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, in predetermination of an application for Scheduled Monument Consent and planning permission for the erection of a rear extension. The field evaluation followed an earlier desk based assessment that identified the area of the proposed development as the potential site of medieval walls and floor surfaces of former buildings associated with the abbey precinct. The excavation, which went to a depth of 1m, found no evidence for remains associated with the medieval abbey. Instead a sequence of 19th century deposits characterised the stratigraphy of the trench. The results of the evaluation trench have shown that the development is unlikely to impact on archaeological remains associated with the abbey precinct. Excavation confirmed that the development, at a maximum depth of 0.60m below existing ground level, is unlikely to impact on anything other than 19th century building debris and modern topsoil. Below this is another thick layer of 19th century made ground providing the necessary buffer of 0.30m between the underneath of the proposed slab foundation and the top of any significant archaeological deposits that may exist beneath the bottom of the trench.

An historic environment desk based assessment was carried out during August and September 2016 at 2 Cedar Close, Snitterfield, Warkwickshire in connection with an application for the erection of a single-storey side extension. The assessment showed that the study site lies within an area that forms one of two historic centres that comprise the settlement at Snitterfield. One of these is focused on the intersection of the main route ways at the south-west end of the village, whilst the other centre lies at the north-east end around the medieval church where the study site is situated. Snitterfield Hall, built at the end of the 17th century, formerly stood to the south-west of the church until its demolition at the beginning of the 19th century. The cartographic evidence has shown that the study site lies within an area that has been orchard since at least 1697 bounded by the churchyard to the west which appears largely unchanged from before this time. The assessment found that no significant monuments, archaeological finds or deposits have been recorded within or in close proximity to the study site and no further work was recommended.

Archaeological recording was carried out during construction of a rear detached single-storey dwelling. Historic mapping (OS 1886) shows the site much as it is today as part of a ribbon of terraced properties fronting Port Street with long thin garden plots to the rear. These properties are associated with the earlier medieval burgage plots and the rear gardens are likely to contain pits related to their former occupation. Earlier archaeological work in 2008 on land to the rear of 50-64, Port Street and Church Street revealed pitting associated with the occupancy of Medieval tenements along Port Street producing pottery indicating occupation from the 11th to 15th centuries. The study site is described as an early 19th century three-storey terraced range. Whether this has replaced an earlier medieval or post medieval building is unclear, but evidence of this may survive within the building itself. The stone well recorded outside the area of excavation may be related to construction of the existing building although the use of masonry in the construction suggests that it may be an earlier feature, perhaps associated with an earlier phase of construction. Also shown on the historic mapping to the rear of the building is a small detached square structure. The purpose of this feature is unclear, but it may have been an outside privy. Truncation of the underlying deposits appears to have been confined to the central length of the excavation area and is characterized by a number of later features. A deposit situated in the south-west corner of the excavation which also appears to have been associated with later truncation produced early 18th century pottery. A subsoil layer representing a relict soil horizon immediately overlay the natural substrate. Although undated this is probably related to the earliest occupation of the site.

Archaeological recording was carried out during August 2015 at 9 Broadway road, Hinton cross Evesham. The proposed development was located in an archaeologically sensitive area at the crossing of a number of probable roman route ways. A group of undated enclosures lie immediately south of the development area and an extensive Romano British settlement (Scheduled Ancient Monument) a short distance to the north. The earliest reliable map sources (OS 1885 and 1902) show the study site as part of a large open field occupying an area to the north-east of the (A435) road junction at Hinton-cross, Hinton-on-the-Green. To the south-west, on the opposite side of the road, some development had already taken place with the erection of two pairs of semi-detached brick cottages. By 1923 (OS Third Edition) the exiting building, including the adjacent property had been erected as a pair of semi-detached two-storey brick cottages, similar in style to those on the opposite side of the road. Excavation revealed no archaeological deposits, instead a relatively undisturbed natural substrate comprising a stiff Lias clay was overlain by a single layer of subsoil intermixed with residual topsoil probably as a result of cultivation activities. An absence of archaeological deposits and a lack of any residual finds suggests little activity within the study site prior to its development sometime between 1902 and 1927.

In September 2015 trial trenching was carried at Sugarbrook Mill, Buntsford Hill, Stoke Pound, Bromsgrove, Worcs. as part of a planning application for residential development of the site. Historic mapping has revealed that construction of the watermill was associated with harnessing the power of the Sugarbrook, one of the more important tributaries of the River Salwarp. This was achieved by diverting its original course and re-connecting with the river via a newly constructed leat and mill race. The field evaluation revealed a sequence of layers of modern re-deposition overlying the natural clay. This activity is probably linked to expansion of the industrial premises in the early 1950s resulting in the right bank of the Salwarp being moved further to the north-east, this would have included the insertion of associated drainage as evidenced within the south-west end of the trench. The walkover survey concluded that the building was probably constructed during the mid 18th century, perhaps replacing an earlier mill, not necessarily on the same site, but probably represented by an existing building further to the south-west. Reused cruck blades were also identified in the building.

Archaeological recording was carried out on land at Church Road, Clifton on Teme, Worcs. during November 2014 in connection with the erection of a detached house. Historic mapping (OS 1888) shows the site much as it is today, occupying the north-west corner of a large open field that extends from the south side of Church Road on the eastern edge of the village. The field was formerly part of Church Farm situated opposite the site, where the large stone and brick barn is clearly 18th century, but the timber-framed farmhouse shows that the farm has its origins at least in the Tudor period. The farm appears to form part of a wider historic landscape, it is approached via a track along its west side which turns east beyond the farm and continues to Homme Castle, where there is a Norman motte. It also includes the church and a field between in which earthworks indicating a medieval settlement have been recorded. No archaeological deposits were observed during the excavation, instead a sequence of three homogenous stratified deposits were recorded. The earliest of these was the natural substrate comprising a geology of alternating clay and sandstone geology. This was in turn overlain by a layer of relict subsoil which was sealed by the existing topsoil. The absence of any archaeological deposits and a lack of finds suggests little human activity within the study site apart from that associated with agriculture and that the early focus of village which appears to have been established along the north side of Church Road does not appear to extend to the south of the road.

Archaeological recording was carried out during May 2014 at Avondale House, Kennel Bank, Cropthorne, Worcestershire during groundworks within the existing garden associated with the erection of a detached dwelling and garage. Although limited in scope, the excavation revealed no evidence to indicate settlement before the post-medieval period. Instead it confirmed the cartographic evidence (OS 1886) which showed the development area to contain earlier structures. The remains of one of these structures survived within the former vegetable garden and was represented by the remains of the foundation wall indicating the outline of a former cottage with a fireplace and oven at the south-east end and internal features suggesting a two-bay building. A late C19 photograph survives showing the front of the timber-framed cottage with Caroline Tarplee, born in 1828 and living until she was 97, and her niece Lizzie Meakins. Enough of the frame is shown to allow comparison with other buildings in the village to suggest a possible C17 construction date.

An historic environment desk based assessment was carried out during November and December 2016 at Cherry Trees, Swans Nest Lane, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, to support an application for demolition of the existing building and erection of seven apartments on the same footprint. The assessment showed that the study site lies on the southern edge of Bridgetown, a suburb of Stratford centred around the junction of four roads at a ford across the River Avon. At present the earliest evidence is of a medieval chapel and hermitage which was established to the north of the study site on the site of the present Swans Nest Hotel. During the 17th century the study site would probably have been open fields marking the southern edge of the Bridgetown area between the flood plain to the west and the Shipston Road to the east. Bridgetown expanded significantly during the industrial revolution following the construction of the canal and tramway between 1816 and 1826 leading to the creation of Swans Nest Lane connecting the Clopton Road bridgehead with the tramway and the range of industrial buildings established along the Bridgetown river frontage. The land to the south of the hotel between the Shipston Road and the tramway was subsequently divided into plots for residential development from the mid-19th century. The study site continued to remain as open ground until 1886 when it had become orchard. The assessment concluded that there is unlikely to be significant archaeological deposits situated within the study site which appears to have been unsettled open ground until construction of the existing house in the late 20th century. The proposed development is therefore unlikely to have any impact and no further work was recommended.

Archaeological recording was carried out at Dodderhill Court, Crutch Lane, Elmbridge, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire during development comprising the erection of a two-storey side extension. Historic mapping (OS 1885) shows the study site was one of two farms in the area called Hill Court each at the end of a road extending west from Crutch Lane, itself an earlier route-way. It seems likely that the study site, which by 1903 (OS Second Edition) was renamed Dodderhill Court, was a later replacement built in the style of a model farm. The architectural fabric of the building suggests it was created during the early 19th century. The farm buildings are arranged in a south-east facing U-shaped form with threshing barn, cow-house and stables around a fold-yard. A stone wall extending from this yard is fronted on the north side by a haw-haw, this separates the farmyard from the detached farmhouse situated to the south-west with the front facing west. Later a Dutch barn was erected to cover the yard and a range added to the south-east side, thereby enclosing the yard. A number of these buildings were eventually demolished during development in the 1980s or 1990s leaving only the west and north-west ranges surviving as converted offices and dwellings. No significant archaeological deposits were observed during the excavation, instead a sequence of three stratified homogenous layers were recorded comprising a natural clay, overlain by a relict subsoil and modern topsoil. The absence of any archaeological deposits and a lack of finds would suggest little human activity within the study site apart from that associated with occupation of the house from the 19th century.

An archaeological evaluation was carried out during October 2016 at Home Farm, Old School Lane, Lighthorne, Warwickshire in connection with a proposal for development of the site. The study site is to situated on the south-eastern edge of the village, currently comprising a field south of Home Farm, itself a 19th century development. Excavation revealed no significant archaeological remains, but instead a sequence of three homogenous stratified deposits indicating an open rural landscape. Residually deposited finds from the subsoil layers in trenches 2 and 3 indicates early and later medieval activity probably associated with the agricultural use of the land. Modern pitting had previously truncated deposits to the west and south-west as and this was followed by the re-deposition of natural clay across the southern half of the site to a depth of at about 0.50m. The overall effect of this was increase the gradient of the slope within the natural topography of the study site which rises from north to south.