Data from Geoarchaeological Test Pitting at Leam Valley, Bytham Valley, Chattle Hill, Avon Valley and Middleton, 2019-2020 (HS2 Phase One)
High Speed Two Ltd., Wessex Archaeology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.5284/1128897. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 5945
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1128897
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises report, site record, spreadsheet and GIS data from Geoarchaeological Test Pitting work at Leam Valley, Bytham Valley, Chattle Hill, Avon Valley and Middleton which was undertaken by Wessex Archaeology between 2019-2020.
Geoarchaeological fieldwork across HS2 Phase One North involved a program of targeted investigation of Pleistocene and Holocene deposits at eighteen sites, comprising a total of one hundred and thirty-one test pits on fourteen sites and eighty-eight boreholes (window samples, cable percussion and rotary) across seven sites. The investigations have established the geoarchaeological potential of the deposits at these sites.
Test pits and boreholes identified fine grained and organic alluvial deposits of likely Pleistocene date with paleoenvironmental potential at three sites (A1-2 ‘Leam Valley’, A1-3 ‘Bytham Valley’, A2-3 Chattle Hill ). Palaeolithic archaeology was identified at two sites, A1-4 ‘Avon Valley’ and A2-7 ‘Middleton’. Further work is recommended at A1-4 where a hand-axe was previously identified from deposits which have not been fully investigated and where the context of the hand-axe is uncertain. Further work is not recommended at this stage at A2-7 where a single rolled flake was produced, indicating low density reworked Palaeolithic archaeology which may or may not be broadly contemporary with the deposit. Organic rich deposits of likely Holocene date were identified at six of the seven sites investigated through borehole surveys, typically comprising peat and organic rich fine-grained deposits preserved within floodplain contexts (A2 Bickenhill, A2-2 Coleshill AMA2 and AMA6, A2-GCZ41, A2-6 and A2-9).
The archive comprises the digital records and files created during the 2019-2020 work and includes the subsequent post-excavation assessment and analysis. It also includes scanned paper and graphics records, photographic records, and digital data. The archive of these investigations is currently (as of May 2023) held at the offices of Wessex Archaeology in Sheffield.
