Series: ISCA Archaeology unpublished report Series

The Historic Building Recording has been conducted as a Level 2 and has expanded to include elements of a Level 3 assessment as specified by Historic England in its publication; Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Practice (2016). The Archaeological Watching Brief was completed monitoring the replacement of a service in the basement of the building, and the results were hand recorded. The proposal for the building is refurbishment from existing commercial use for new use as a Post Office. In addition to the Historic Building Recording to record the historic fabric of the building, a programme of archaeological monitoring and recording has been implemented during below ground/floor works to allow for the identification, investigation and recording of any exposed archaeological or artefactual deposits. The property has been subject to many adjustments and changes over time, not least an almost complete rebuilding in the later Victorian era between 1851 and 1879. This rebuilding resulted in a loss of many of the original features of the building, such as the original roof space, the historic first floor and the original frontage. The ground floor, however, does retain walls of original killas stone construction in the western and northern elevations. These elements of the ground floor, including the fireplace stack and flue, are of comparably higher significance than that of the rest of the building. The results of the watching brief demonstrate that material from the demolition of original building now exists within the made ground layers in the base of the first floor. No archaeological features, such as original historic killas stone subdivisions, have been found within this made ground. This report has found that in the buildings current state of disrepair, being left exposed without renovation would result in further loss to the buildings condition and therefore significance. A sympathetic renovation, fully taking into account the heritage value of the ground floor killas stone walls, would result in a net gain to the significance of the building and preserve the heritage asset for the foreseeable future.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology at the site of a proposed new residential dwelling at Court Farm, Cullompton, Devon. A total of three trenches were excavated. The works were commissioned by Robinson Jary Architecture, on behalf of Maggie Harri The proposed site is located within the grounds of Court Farm, Cullompton, Devon and is accessed via an unclassified road leading off the southern extent of Willand Road (B3181) in the north-east area of Cullompton. The site consists of an area measuring approximately 20m by 15m (300m²), with scrubland to the north, and the concrete slab of a demolished barn to the south. The three trenches (measuring 15.5m, 15m and 10.55m) were all excavated to the underlying sand and gravel geology. To the south, the site had been truncated, with the natural substrate directly overlain by bedding for the concrete floor slab of the former barn. To the north of the site, the natural substrate was sealed by a 0.3m thick layer of mid-brown silty clay. This layer likely represents an early buried soil horizon and was only visible to the north. Cutting through the earlier soil horizon was a partially exposed pit to the north-west. This pit measured 2.4m long and at least 0.7m wide containing a large quantity of brick and slate fragments. To the north-east, a small, square, brick structure was uncovered. The bricks forming this structure measured 235 x 110 x 73mm and were laid over a mortared, rubble footing. The structure appears to have been robbed in the north-west corner. Sealing the earlier buried soil horizon, the brick filled pit, and the brick structure was a 0.28m thick layer of black ash, clinker, modern rubbish and bricks. This in turn was sealed by a 0.42m thick layer of mixed topsoil, rubbish, bricks, and concrete. The brick structure is of a post-medieval date and may have been a small outbuilding, although its full extent was not revealed. No archaeological features or deposits that may have been associated with a possible Roman road in this location were noted during the evaluation. The potential road may be located beyond the boundary of the development site, should it exist. No pre-modern finds were exposed

The fieldwork watching brief followed the methodology laid out within the WSI (ISCA 2021). An archaeologist was present during all intrusive ground works. Where archaeological remains were present, each feature and context were recorded by written and measured descriptions and surveyed using a Leica GPS. All works were carried out in accordance with the Code of Approved Practice as set out by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and recorded according to CIfA guidelines and best practice. An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology on the 15th of November 2021 at Hembury Castle, Tythecott, Buckland Brewer, Torridge, Devon, during the excavation of a service trench. The service trench was to facilitate an upgrade to the electrical supply infrastructure to the property. The trench followed the alignment of a former access track for most of its length. The ground had been heavily truncated during the modern period by the former access, terracing for buildings and modern services. Hembury Castle hillfort is located adjacent to the site in the north-east. No features relating to the Iron Age hillfort were exposed. Three undated ditches were found. Two, associated, ditches were located in the central north-east area of the Site. These ditches formed a double ditched bank and corelated to a boundary shown on the historic mapping. The last undated ditch was located in the central south-west of the Site, and cut the subsoil, inferring a post-medieval/modern date.

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Tim Brown of ISCA Archaeology on the 16th and 17th of May 2023, as commissioned by Landsense Professional, on the behalf of Mr B. Heal, during groundworks associated with the installation of a new farm track at Highlands Farm, Combe Martin, Ilfracombe, Devon (Fig. 1). These works were completed under the methodology set out by a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) completed by ISCA Archaeology (2023) and included the monitoring of the stripping of the farm track, over approximately 364m. as part of the planning application 76678. The trackway lies within an area of high archaeological potential that the Devon Historic Environment Record (HER) shows containing a concentration of prehistoric funerary monuments, some of which are protected as scheduled monuments. Some 150m to the east, lies a square ditch enclosure, identified by aerial photography. As such, the development may have had the potential to expose and destroy buried archaeological and artefactual deposits associated with either prehistoric or Romano-British activity, and/or later medieval and post-medieval activity. The groundworks consisted of an area strip of approximately 364m long, 3.7m wide and to a max depth of 0.32m, comprising of the trackway alone, with no additional ground works (Fig. 2 and Plate 1). The soil sequence consisted of a mid grey-brown firm silty clay topsoil overlying three deposits, these deposits varied across the trackway. At the western-most end, close to an existing field entrance was a hardstanding of redeposited shillet containing modern plastics, this deposit measured c. 24m long by 3.7m wide and 0.05m deep (Plate 2). To the eastern-most end towards another existing field entrance the topsoil sealed a layer of tarmac surface containing modern ceramics, this measured c. 4.3m long and 2.7m wide (Plate 3). Elsewhere within the excavated trackway, the topsoil overlies a natural substrate comprising of a light to mid brown-red firm clay with shillet inclusions. No archaeological features or deposits were observed, and no artefactual material was recovered. Although no archaeological features were noted, there remains the possibility of their existence remaining outside of the area excavated and monitored.

An archaeological evaluation and excavation was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology in August 2021 at Land Adjacent to The Fountain Head Inn, Berry Hill, Branscombe, Devon. A total of two trenches and an excavation area (measuring 605m²) were excavated. Prior to this phase of work, an archaeological evaluation had been undertaken by AC Archaeology in 2015 which revealed the potential for several medieval to post-medieval field systems, with unabraded pottery ranging from the 11th to the 15th century. The evaluation area was centred just to the northwest of Berry Hill and revealed four separate phases of ditches, most likely relating to field systems dating from XXXX. No direct evidence of settlement activity, such as structural remains, postholes, or beam slots, were noted. It is likely that any settlement was located elsewhere. The two further evaluation trenches only produced evidence of a single undated burnt-out tree throw to the northwest, and a modern borehole to the southwest.

A total of four evaluation trenches were excavated, located using a Leica GPS and machined using a toothless grading bucket separating the toposil from the subsoil An archaeological evaluation was undertaken ISCA Archaeology in May 2022 at Land at Chickerell, Weymouth, Dorset. A total of 4 trenches were excavated. The evaluation trenches were located to target a representative sample of the site, and identified two undated ditches. Both ditches were sealed by the subsoil and cut the natural geology. Neither feature was extant on historic cartographical sources and did not respect the existing field system. Both ditches were consistent with being former drainage ditches, as opposed to field boundaries. The paucity of archaeological remains suggests the site was only used for agriculture in the past and was not in close proximity to any domestic settlement.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology in May – June 2021 at land at of the project Viaduct Hill, Hayle, Cornwall. A total of 11 trenches were excavated. These trenches were pulled by a JCB with a toothless grading bucket. An archaeological evaluation was undertaken ISCA Archaeology in May – June 2021 at land at of the project Viaduct Hill, Hayle, Cornwall. A total of 11 trenches were excavated. The evaluation trenches were located to target several geophysical anomalies as well as a representative sample of the proposed development area, and in turn identified several archaeological features all located to the northwest corner of the site. These features included a possible circular enclosure, linear ditches and three postholes, all of which were cut into the underlying natural geology and sealed by the subsoil. The undated circular enclosure feature consisted of possibly two shallow, concentric ditches, though one ditch maybe a later field boundary which contained 17th century material. The linear ditches were dated to the medieval period whist the postholes were undated. A large post-medieval quarry pit was also noted in this area. Elsewhere across the site, the evaluation identified several linear ditches and gullies that are likely to represent extant post-medieval field system elements. These later features cut through the subsoil and were sealed by the plough soil. Towards the northern edge of the site, a large circular anomaly was investigated and produced abundant 20th century material. This feature is likely to be an infilled World War II bomb crater or quarry pit

The Historic Building Recording takes the form of a Level 1 ‘basic visual record’, supplemented by the minimum of information needed to identify the building’s location, age, and type specified by Historic England in its publication; Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Practice (2016). The Watching Brief element has been used to investigate below ground or below floor disturbance which may have affected any buried features or remains, the watching brief covered service trenching inside and outside the building during early ground works. This assessment has established a phasing of the buildings within the Site and an assessment of their significance. The assessment has concluded that whilst change is being introduced to the Old Laundry via its redevelopment, this change reverses some of the harm created during the years when the building was derelict, and it ensures the building is conserved and put into active and appropriate use. The scheme proposes some alterations which result in change to a limited amount of the Old Laundry structure. However, the net impact when all factors are considered, including the conservation of the asset and the betterment of its surroundings results in a net positive overall outcome for the building, and its significance based on its current baseline condition is preserved. Any truncations that take place to the identified phase 1 and phase 2 upstanding structures would need to be monitored by an archaeologist and appropriately recorded. Such truncations, however, are not part of proposed plans and are not expected to occur. Buildings associated with phase 3 and 4 of the Site are of comparatively low significance and no further monitoring is considered necessary. These parts of the Site do not contribute to the Old Laundry as a local landmark and though there is an associated ‘group’ of buildings, they have not been identified as having any special compositional interest. As such, it is concluded that there are no restrictive heritage constraints to the loss of the phase 3 and 4 buildings as part of redevelopment of the Site. The archaeological watching brief phase of the investigation demonstrated that the ground had been heavily disturbed through multiple demolitions and building phases. The Victorian phase 2 structures relating to the Site’s use as a laundry have demonstrably truncated away remains of in-situ phase 1 building components. The only extant archaeology likely relating to the phase 1 use of the Site was a wall within Trench 1 in alignment with the projected route of the original leat. In conjunction with evidence provided by the Historic Building Recording on the surviving element of the leat adjacent to the west of the Site, the wall was found to have been maintained with Victorian brick and mortar. Elsewhere within the Site, the watching brief provide no evidence to suggest the survival of remains relating to the Georgian use of the Site as a mill. Furthermore, no evidence was discovered to suggest pre-phase 1 activity relating to earlier periods within the Site.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology between November 2021 and March 2022 at Poughill Road, Poughill, Bude, Cornwall during groundworks associated with the development of 25 new residential dwellings. The archaeology present was dispersed across the site (totalling 2.5ha), with two circular enclosures to the north and north-west, three linear ditches to the east, west and north and a small number of dispersed gullies, pits, and posthole. The circular enclosures dated to the Middle Iron Age and likely represented dispersed late prehistoric rural activity and settlement at this time. The ditches remained undated though they could be prehistoric in origin as they appeared to cut the later subsoil, though a post-Roman or medieval date is possible. The north/south aligned ditches to the west and east of the site ran parallel to the existing field boundary and may have been part of earlier field sub-divisions. Elsewhere an isolated east/west aligned gully to the south and the posthole to the south-west were undated. A single isolated pit, located to the south contained a single sherd of Middle Iron Age pottery, similar to those found within the two ring gullies. However, the pottery was considerably abraded and may suggest that it could pre-date the ring gullies.

The fieldwork watching brief followed the methodology laid out within the WSI (ISCA 2021). An archaeologist was present during all intrusive works, comprising the observation of all below ground works, including ground reduction and service trenching An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by ISCA Archaeology between June and October 2021 at South Crofty Mine, Pool, Redruth, Cornwall during groundworks associated with the development of land for a builder’s merchants, including storage, distribution, trade counter, offices, and ancillary retail sales. The development area was in an area of open, partial scrub land which did not contain any upstanding structures. The watching brief observed all below ground works, including ground reduction and service trenching. No previous structures or former mine shafts were noted. Most of the observed areas had been heavily disturbed and contained waste mining up-cast material or other modern disturbances. Several potential mine shafts were recorded as being within the footprint of the new development site, but none were observed. This is potentially due to the deep depths of the overlying overburden and the shallow nature of the ground reduction in some areas. The possibility is some shafts may remain below the made ground.