Data from a Borehole Survey at North of Great Ouse (Westbury Viaduct), Westbury, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, 207-2018 (HS2 Phase One)
COPA: Cotswold Oxford Pre-Construct Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology Ltd, High Speed Two Ltd., 2025. https://doi.org/10.5284/1126688. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 4276
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1126688
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises of reports, spreadsheet, image, GIS and site record data from a borehole survey at north of Great Ouse (Westbury Viaduct), Westbury, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, 207-2018.
Project Summary
COPA were commissioned by Fusion to undertake deposit modelling with boreholes at HS2 2017 Construction Land Requirement C244_001 North of Great Ouse (Westbury Viaduct), Buckinghamshire. The project plan established the scope, aims, contribution to the Generic Written Scheme of Investigation: Historic Environment Research and Delivery Strategy (GWSI: HERDS) objectives, techniques, deliverable and reporting mechanism for the investigation. The fieldwork was undertaken between the 14th and 16th November 2017.
The borehole investigation addressed an area of land along the north bank of the River Great Ouse, roughly 0.9 km south-west of Westbury located in Aylesbury Vale District, Buckinghamshire (NGR SP 61065 35746), hereafter referred to as ‘the site’. The site, including the land along the river bank, encompasses an area of c.2.96ha. The north-west end of the site is predominantly arable, whilst the south-east end is currently set aside in pasture and includes a small area of woodland.
The Site is required for habitat creation, including a new wetland meadow, provision of scattered tree cover, compensatory roosting for bats, and new habitats for great-crested newtand reptiles. The fieldwork comprised nine sample locations (BH01-BH09) distributed evenly across the site in four short transects comprising 2-3 boreholes aligned approximately NE-SW.
Re-Use Value Statement
The results of the borehole investigation and deposit modelling have recorded an alluvial sequence (undated), which for the most part is inorganic with limited palaeoenvironmental potential. Where a localised more organic alluvium has been recorded associated with a palaeochannel, this still has a high mineral content and no true peat deposits were recorded. The sequences are waterlogged and have the potential to preserve organic remains, including wooden artefacts and/or riverside structures, although no archaeological remains or artefacts were recovered during the borehole work. No buried soils were noted, although the surface of the Pleistocene gravel should be considered a key archaeological horizon for the preservation of in situ artefact scatters and cut features prior to the onset of alluvial deposition. However, the direct below ground construction impacts for this Site are likely to be minimal and unlikely to reach the depth of either the organic alluvium or alluvial-gravel interface. No further work is recommended.
