Preston, S. (2001). Land at St Ebba's Hospital, Hook Road, Epsom, Surrey. Archaeologoical Desk-Based Assessment. Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd.

Title:

Land at St Ebba's Hospital, Hook Road, Epsom, Surrey. Archaeologoical Desk-Based Assessment

Number of Pages:

Biblio Note

Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database. The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions.

Publication Type:

Report

Abstract:

Planning permission was to be sought for the redevelopment and complete re-landscaping of the site, retaining the health-care function of the north-west part of the site, and converting the remainder for residential use, with extensive open amenity space. It was clear that direct evidence of relevance to the proposal site only began with the foundations of the hospital, while more important surviving buildings were in any case Listed and would be preserved as part of the planned redevelopment. However, a lack of recorded evidence from earlier periods on the site itself should not by any means be taken as indicating an absence of archaeologically potential. In other areas where systematic survey had been undertaken in recent times, relatively high densities of sites had been found, even in previously 'blank' spots. Prehistoric settlement was generally thought to have avoided the heavy clays. This site, occupying as it does a band of unclassified (presumably gravel) terrace over London Clays may potentially provide an important test for this hypothesis. Recent work had shown only very limited Bronze Age/Early Iron Age activity on the clay just to the south and other areas on the clay nearby had proven archaeologically sterile, while the evidence from areas immediately to the east, off the clay, suggested Mesolithic, possibly later prehistoric, Iron Age and certainly Roman activity and settlement in the vicinity. Depending on the nature of the subsoil, the site could provide a contrast with the clay sites mentioned, or add to the largely negative evidence from these. There was certainly Saxon and medieval occupation in Epsom and Ewell, although no direct evidence related to the development site itself. Pervious finds from the vicinity suggested a strong possibility of Roman settlement, and a reasonable expectation of Iron Age activity across the Epsom/Ewell area as a whole, with sporadic indications of earlier prehistoric and Saxon remains. One the one hand it could be stated with a fair degree of confidence that any archaeological sub-surface deposits would have survived intact except where they had already been removed by the foundations of the existing buildings, associated groundworks or the roots of trees. The 1843 map, when the area was entirely open fields, suggested little or no source of damage to archaeological deposits prior to this time. Much of the land appeared to have been pasture and, in any case, ploughing practices were considerably less destructive prior to the Second World War. On the other hand, the footprints of the existing buildings were likely to have removed entirely, or severely limited the information value of any archaeological deposits they encountered. It was unlikely that remains of any of the periods likely to be encountered would have reached sufficient depth in this sort of setting to survive below building foundations. The areas currently built on could probably be safely assumed to have negligible chance of any surviving archaeological deposits. This still left any archaeology in the majority of the area potentially intact. The report confirmed that the potential impact of the development proposals on any possible archaeological remains should be further explored by means of a field evaluation. [Au(adp)]

Author:

Steve Preston

Publisher:

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Year of Publication:

2001

Locations:

Location - Auto Detected:	Epsom
Location - Auto Detected:	St Ebbas Hospital Hook Road Epsom Surrey

Subjects / Periods:

IRON AGE (Historic England Periods)
Earlier Prehistoric (Auto Detected Temporal)
BRONZE AGE (Historic England Periods)
Later Prehistoric Iron Age (Auto Detected Temporal)
MESOLITHIC (Historic England Periods)
Roman (Auto Detected Temporal)
Prehistoric (Auto Detected Temporal)
Saxon (Auto Detected Temporal)
Medieval (Auto Detected Temporal)
EARLY IRON AGE (Historic England Periods)

Note:

Date Of Issue From: 2001 Date Of Coverage From: 01 Date Of Coverage To: 01 Editorial Expansion: Site name: LAND AT ST EBBA'S HOSPITAL, HOOK ROAD, EPSOM
Study area: 21.8ha
Investigation type: Desk-based
District: Epsom and Ewell
Monument:
Ngr: TQ20456260
Parish:
Postcode: KT198QJ

Source:

BIAB (Archaeological Investigations Project (AIP))

Created Date:

19 Jan 2009