Data from a Trial Trenching at Copthall North Fields CNC and CND, Hillingdon, 2019 (HS2 Phase One)
High Speed Two Ltd., Archaeology Wales, Wardell Armstrong Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5284/1106788. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © High Speed Two Ltd. unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a The Open Government Licence (OGL).
Primary contact
High Speed Two Ltd.
2 Snowhill
Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6GA
United Kingdom
Tel: 08081 434 434
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4157
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1106788
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises site data (digital photographs, spreadsheets, scanned test pit and context sheets, registers and drawings) from an archaeological evaluation undertaken by Archaeology Wales and Wardell Armstrong on land at Copthall North, Breakspear Road, Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred on TQ 06610 87434. Work took place between 18th February and 22nd March 2019. A total of 31 trenches were excavated across two fields.
Project Summary
The evaluation forms part of Phase One of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, which was granted Royal Assent in 2017 as the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act. Phase One runs 230 km from Euston Station in London to Curzon Street in Birmingham.
The evaluation was designed to address the following Knowledge Creation objectives:
- Identify settlement location and developing models for settlement patterns for the Mesolithic, Neolithic and early Bronze Age.
- Understanding the evidence for change in the environment and management of the landscape for the Mesolithic and early Neolithic Periods.
- Exploring the degree of continuity that existed between Late Mesolithic and Neolithic communities in terms of population mobility and subsistence strategies.
- Does the high density of prehistoric settlement evidence in the Colne Valley reflect a genuine focus of activity or does it reflect a bias in the archaeological record?
- Investigate the degree of continuity that existed between late Bronze Age and Iron Age communities in terms of population, mobility and subsistence strategies.
- What evidence is there for regionality in the mortuary rites of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, and how does that alter over time?
- Explore the evidence for increasing social complexity in the archaeological record in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age and identify patterns of intra-regional and regional variation.
- To what extent are the patterns of settlement, landholding and enclosure in West London and the Colne Valley in the Iron Age and Romano-British period determined by those established in the Bronze Age?
The specific aims and objectives were to:
- determine the presence or absence of buried archaeological remains within the proposed development site
- determine the character, date, extent and distribution of any archaeological deposits and their potential significance
- determine levels of disturbance to any archaeological deposits from plough damage or from any other agricultural/industrial practices or later building activities
- investigate and record all deposits and features of archaeological interest within the areas to be disturbed by the current development
- determine the likely impact on archaeological deposits from the proposed development
- disseminate the results of the fieldwork through an appropriate level of reporting.
The dataset should be considered as part of the Copthall North dataset which also includes 1S19CONTT Fields CNA and CNG and 1S19CHNTT Trial Pitting Field CNB.
Reuse Value Statement
The project identified no securely dated features of archaeological value and, on its own, does not warrant any further investigation of analysis. If further work were to be undertaken in the near vicinity of the site, this might provide contextualisation for the undated features.
The collection includes the scanned paper archive (trench and context sheets, registers, drawings) and digital photos from the excavation stage of the evaluation. Also included are the spreadsheets and specialist reports created during the post excavation phase of the project.
GIS data and the final reports have been uploaded to ADS directly by HS2. The physical archive is currently being stored by Archaeology Wales and will be deposited in a repository specified by HS2 in the future.
