Series: Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report series

During May and June 2018 Oxford Archaeology South undertook a trial trench evaluation and a strip, map and sample excavation at Bishop's College, Estcourt Road, Gloucester. The fieldwork was undertaken as part of the programme of demolition works. Three areas, totalling approximately 2400m2, had been targeted on the foundation pads of previous buildings due to be demolished. These areas were supplemented with the excavation of eleven trial trenches within the surrounding fields. The evaluation trenches uncovered a quarry pit of possible Roman date, and linear boundary ditches and plough furrows dating to the post-medieval period. Strip, map and sample Area 1 contained ditches that may have been field boundaries. Finds suggest that these date to either the Roman or medieval period. There was a large amount of modern disturbance and truncation in the trenches located in the footings of the Bishop's College School buildings and their environs. SMS Areas 2 and 3 were found to have been heavily truncated and disturbed by the construction of the buildings and the concrete pads, and as such no archaeology was recovered from these areas.

November 2005. Oxford Archaeology carried out an archaeological watching brief at 1 Woodstock Road, Croydon. The watching brief revealed deposits of worked soils, consistent with open fields or burgage plots, overlying alluvial deposits. No significant archaeology was observed.

Between November 2011 and May 2013 Oxford Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation and watching brief at 10 Stephen Road, Headington, Oxford. The works were carried out in advance of and during a redevelopment for housing, comprising four town houses and a block of four apartments, with associated parking plots and gardens. Prior to the development works, two evaluation trenches were excavated. These were located in areas identified as 'anomalies', possibly pertaining to burials, in a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the site. However, no archaeological features were revealed. The anomalies observed in the GPR survey corresponded with areas of modern disturbance. Following the evaluation, an archaeological watching brief was carried out on all groundworks that had potential to impact upon archaeological deposits. The groundworks included general ground reduction and excavation of footings and service trenches. A number of modern features, including a bottle/metal waste dump, two redundant water pipe trenches and a manhole, three soakaways and two modern rubbish pits, were revealed. Another pit, possibly archaeological, was revealed within a pad-stone footing, although no finds were recovered from which to estimate a date. The most archaeologically significant feature revealed was a north-east - southwest aligned burial. However, the skeleton was in very poor condition, with only the legs surviving. A single fragment of Bronze Age pottery was recovered from the grave fill, although this was probably residual. It likely that the burial dates to the Saxon period, given its proximity to the site of a furnished Saxon burial that was revealed during groundworks at No.2 Stephen Road in 2003. ©

In September 2010 Oxford Archaeology undertook a watching brief during the construction of a new extension at 11 Norham Road, Oxford. Some parts of the area observed had previously been disturbed during terracing of the garden. A single ditch and two pit features were found in the area of the extension. There was no dating evidence from these features, but the nature of the fill material suggests a medieval or later date. No archaeological features were observed during the excavation of a pipe trench. A single sherd of prehistoric pottery was recovered from the spoil generated by the machining.

Excavations undertaken at 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford, shed light on some of the oldest and grandest parts of the medieval city. The earliest archaeology identified appeared to be a backyard surface through which a series of later rubbish pits, dating to the late Saxon and early Norman period, had been cut. The pits contained pottery and bone fragments, denoting general rubbish, as well as the raked-out fuel waste from ovens, fires and hearths. There were also frequent sediments which had the distinctive green colour typical of faecal material, either from humans or animals. A square stone-lined cess pit cut through the rubbish pits. The pit contained a rich assemblage of 12th-13thͲcentury pottery, animal bone and other domestic material. The well-constructed nature of the pit suggests that it was associated with a house of a wealthy individual. It is known that, during this period, the site was occupied by four properties. Two of the more substantial land holdings were in Jewish ownership and approximately correspond to the modern 114 to 119 St Aldates. Two much smaller properties, held by the Bishop of Lichfield, fronted on to Queen Street. A stone-built structure, part of a below-ground cellar, lay to the east of the cess pit. The later fills of the cellar contained a small assemblage of late 15th-16th century pottery, which included stoneware jugs and an intact small drinking vessel. It is possible that the cellar belonged to one of the number of taverns that fronted St Aldates and Queen Street. The type of deposits and features found during the excavation are consistent with backyards in which rubbish from a succession of properties – grand buildings, commercial properties, smaller dwellings and workshops – was dumped. This assessment presents the preliminary findings of the fieldwork, specifies what further post-excavation recording and analysis are required, and assesses the potential of the results to address research questions and contribute to a better understanding particularly of Oxford’s Saxon origins, its Jewish Quarter and historic inns and taverns.

Written Scheme of Investigation for the archaeological excavation, strip, map and sample and watching brief undertaken as an archaeological programme of mitigation works at the site of a proposed redevelopment at 114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in respect of a planning application for the construction of 10 domestic units. The evaluation consisted of the excavation of three trial trenches. Two trenches revealed ditches within the limits of an earlier larger ditch that probably formed part of the north-eastern enclosure of the Roman settlement. Pottery from the upper fills in the ditch sequence dated to the 1st century AD, suggesting that the later Roman recuts along the line of the ditch had cut through the earlier fills. The northern part of the ditch complex appeared to turn to the west within the limits of the garden of 121 Tiddington Lane, giving a possible indication of the likely extent of the northern part of the settlement. A pit containing pottery dated AD 40-70 was also located, and may provide evidence of early occupation in this area of the settlement. A series of undated gullies were located in the third trench north of the site of the settlement enclosure ditch. These appeared to be part of a field system, possibly of prehistoric date. [Au(abr)]

On 19th August 2013 Oxford Archaeology carried out the archaeological excavation and recording of a single human inhumation burial at 131 Slough Road, Datchet. The undated burial was discovered during the excavation of footing trenches as part of extension works to the property.

All intrusive works with the potential to reveal or disturb archaeological remains were monitored by an archaeological supervisor. This included Refit/repair of timber and stone flooring to rooms N-G8, N-G6 and N-G5, and the excavation for a lift-pit to the rear of the property The watching brief recorded a medieval domestic refuse pit during excavation for the lift-pit to the rear of the property. Medieval refuse pits were typically located within the back gardens of tenements, and as such, provides evidence for the urban development of St Giles’s. An ash and cinder deposit, possibly representing the remains of an earlier floor, was recorded within the basement, although only survived in small patches and did not produce any finds.