Title: |
SITA ECO PARK, PHASE 1 WORKS AT BENEDICT WHARF, HALLOWFIELD WAY, MITCHAM, LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON, CR4 An Archaeological Watching Brief |
Series: |
Compass Archaeology unpublished report series
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Downloads: |
compassa1-132406_1.pdf (3 MB)
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Download
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Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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DOI |
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Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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Abstract: |
An Archaeological Watching Brief took place during the excavation of six trial pits before the Phase 1 development of Benedict Wharf, on 16th August 2012. This was undertaken to ascertain whether the late 19th - 20th century gravel quarrying that took place over large parts of the site also took place in this northern area, or whether earlier archaeological deposits (particularly relating to the Saxon cemetery to the south of the site, and possible Saxon - medieval settlement in the vicinity of the site), could survive. The watching brief proved that the whole area had been subject to intensive gravel quarrying during the late 19th - 20th century. No archaeological deposits, soil horizons, or natural deposits were encountered in any of the trial pits. Instead, a mixed grey silty-gravelly fill was observed towards the base of all of the pits (at an uppermost level of between 1.2m and 1.9m beneath the modern ground-surface and extending beyond the limit of excavation). This was clearly the infill of the gravel quarries. In pits 1 and 3, remains relating to the 20th century railway were found, including part of the timber railway sleeper, iron rail, and railway sidings, all underlain by a layer of crushed packed chalk. The silty-gravelly deposit (thought to have been the infill of the gravel quarries) was observed beneath the remains relating to the railway in both pits, proving that the gravel quarrying took place before the railway was constructed. This therefore means that no 'spines' of land unaffected by gravel quarrying existed. The archaeological monitoring of these test pits has therefore shown that the whole area did undergo extensive gravel quarrying in the late 19th - 20th century. Any archaeological remains or earlier deposits that may have once survived will have been destroyed by this quarrying, such that the archaeological potential for this area is non-existent. |
Author: |
E Jeffery
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Publisher: |
Compass Archaeology Ltd
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Other Person/Org: |
Historic England (OASIS Reviewer)
Please note: this record has been validated by-proxy by Historic England.
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Year of Publication: |
2012
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Locations: |
Site: |
Benedict Wharf |
Parish: |
MITCHAM |
District: |
Merton |
County: |
Greater London |
Country: |
England |
Grid Reference: 527009, 168401 (Easting, Northing)
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Subjects / Periods: |
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Identifiers: |
OASIS Id: |
compassa1-132406 |
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Note: |
Short report detailing the results of the watching brief on six trial pits. Includes discussion of background, photographs, sections, a plan, and conclusions.
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Source: |
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Relations: |
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Created Date: |
25 Nov 2016 |