1117445. Cite this using datacite

Title:

Cheltenham Secondary School, Farm Lane, Leckhampton, Gloucestershire

Series:

Cotswold Archaeology unpublished report series

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Biblio Note

This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has not been reviewed by the relevant HER. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.

Licence Type:

ADS Terms of Use and Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5284/1117445

Publication Type:

Report (in Series)

Abstract:

Following discussions between OA and the archaeological advisor to GCC, three areas were identified within the development site for further archaeological mitigation/excavation, the northern two targeted Late Iron Age/Roman enclosures and the southern one focussed on later medieval/post-medieval activity: • Area 1 in the north-western field measured 0.82ha; • Area 2 in the central field measured 0.92ha; and • Area 3 in the south-eastern field measured 0.67ha (split into two parts because of the presence of a public footpath). An unexpected modern service was found prior to machining of the Area 2 and therefore it was necessary to obtain an exclusion corridor, with the agreement of all parties that this corridor would be excavated following the decommissioning of the service. In March 2021, the north-west end of this service corridor was excavated revealing a slight continuation of the Roman ditch layout, the rest of the corridor was unavailable for excavation due to ongoing groundworks (Fig. 3). With the agreement of the County Archaeologist, it was decided to excavate two trenches across the linear geophysical anomaly in the north of Area 3 in attempt to establish whether there was evidence for the postulated hollow-way. Between September 2020 and March 2021 Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological excavation in advance of the construction of a new secondary school at Farm Lane, Leckhampton, in the Borough of Cheltenham. Three separate areas totalling 2.4ha within the 5.5ha development site were excavated. The excavation found evidence of three main periods of predominantly agricultural activity. The first two (Later prehistoric/Middle to Late Iron Age and Late Iron Age to Early Roman) were represented by a sequence of field and enclosure ditches and a small number of pits, though there was no evidence for any buildings. Pottery, which comprised mainly local coarsewares, suggests that a major remodelling of the landscape was largely confined to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Other finds were sparse and included a few fragments of brick and tile, and a very small quantity of iron-smithing residue but very little metalwork. Animal bones, mostly of cattle, suggests a pastoral economy (though this cannot be confirmed by the size of the assemblage), whilst charred cereals were present in small amounts, and the mollusc assemblage indicates open grassland with perhaps seasonal flooding. Later activity was shown by medieval/post-medieval ridge-and-furrow cultivation. In the southern area, little activity was evident before the construction of two small, ancillary farm 5 Cheltenham Secondary School, Farm Lane, Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Excavation © Cotswold Archaeology buildings (one may have functioned as a cider mill), and a stone pathway. Pottery and other datable artefacts, including a relatively large assemblage of post-medieval metalwork (including items of dress), suggest these remains date between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Author:

C Bateman

Publisher:

Cotswold Archaeology

Year of Publication:

2022

Locations:

County:	Gloucestershire
Parish:	Leckhampton
Country:	England
District:	Cheltenham

Grid Reference: 393699, 219699 (Easting, Northing)

Subjects / Periods:

DITCH (Monument Type England)

PIT (Monument Type England)

IRON AGE DITCH (Tag)

ROMAN PIT (Tag)

DITCHED ENCLOSURE (Monument Type England)

CIDER MILL (Monument Type England)

RIDGE AND FURROW (Monument Type England)

POST MEDIEVAL PATH (Tag)

ROMAN DITCH (Tag)

EVALUATION (Event)

IRON AGE PIT (Tag)

POST MEDIEVAL CIDER MILL (Tag)

PATH (Monument Type England)

MEDIEVAL RIDGE AND FURROW (Tag)

ROMAN DITCHED ENCLOSURE (Tag)

IRON AGE DITCHED ENCLOSURE (Tag)

POST MEDIEVAL RIDGE AND FURROW (Tag)

IRON AGE (Historic England Periods)

ROMAN (Historic England Periods)

MEDIEVAL (Historic England Periods)

POST MEDIEVAL (Historic England Periods)

Identifiers:

OASIS Id:	cotswold2-403668
Report id:	CR0591_1

Source:

OASIS (OASIS)

Relations:

Created Date:

12 Feb 2024