Series: Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service unpublished report series

Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) were commissioned by Silverlake Design to produce an archaeological assessment to support a planning application for a proposed dwelling and associated landscaping works at Land off Mill Lane, Charlestown. The proposed development area adjoins the Luxulyan Valley and Charlestown District of the Cornwall Mining WHS and Charlestown Conservation Area. The assessment identified one Scheduled Monument (SM) within the study area. In addition, 61 non-designated sites recorded in the Cornwall and Scilly Historic Environment Record (HER) were identified within the study area. The desk-based assessment has identified a Leat system crossing the development area, which is likely to have served Charlestown Mill and potentially West Polmear Mine. A geophysical survey was deemed unpractical for the limited footprint of the proposed development and it was not possible to identify any further potential buried archaeology. Potential options for further archaeological mitigation, which might be required by the Local Planning Authority, include a watching brief during groundworks and the recording of any historic boundaries covered by the Hedgerow Regulations. However, the proposed scheme intends to avoid breaching the historic field boundary within the development area

Cornwall Archaeological unit was commissioned by Andreas Sterzing to carry out a historic building record prior to the conversion of an outbuilding located at NGR SW 78629 34458. Conditional planning permission for the conversion of the Grade II listed building (application number PA19/05010) has now been granted. Condition 5 of the planning consent required a programme of archaeological work to be undertaken which included a historic building record to be made of the building. The historic building record (equivalent to a Historic England level 3 building survey) has been undertaken as a mitigation measure for the impacts of the development on the listed building. The building dates from the late 18th or early 19th century. A total of two major construction phases have been identified as a result of this study.

Historic Environment Projects (Cornwall Council) were commissioned by Graeme Barriball of Roundchase Ltd to carry out an archaeological watching brief during the construction of a new dwelling to the rear of 32 St Stephens Hill in Newport, Launceston located at NGR SX 32732 85342. The site lies within the medieval core of the settlement of Newport which is first recorded in 1250 (Gover, 1948). St Stephens Hill was clearly the original medieval route from the priory across St Thomas's Bridge to the village of St Stephens. Medieval burgage strips are shown on the 1748 Plan of the Borough of Newport by Launceston by J Wynne and the Tithe map of c1840 flanking either side of St Stephens Hill road, and many still survive. The frontage of the plot is occupied by two adjoining 18th century cottages, now combined to form a single Grade II listed house. The plot also lies immediately south of a 19th century Wesleyan chapel and Sunday School. The watching brief, carried out during clearance of the area within the footprint of the proposed house and the excavation of the new footings, revealed an early wall (4) along the southern property boundary. It seems likely that wall (4) is part of a post-medieval boundary. Another wall (3) was identified as a later insertion overlying a layer of buried garden soil (6) in the southern part of the site. This wall is possibly part of a small outbuilding aligned north-west south-east shown on the c1880 OS map. A layer of redeposited topsoil/garden soil containing demolition debris (2) covering the southern half of the site and associated with the 20th century levelling works was shown to contain moderate quantities of 17th 18th and 19th century domestic debris. No features, deposits or finds of prehistoric or medieval date were identified.

The study area is from Land's End to the county boundary between Devon and Cornwall/City of Plymouth in the east, including a small part of Devon that was excluded from the South Devon Coast RCZAS. The broad aims of the project are to: 1) Provide an enhanced Historic Environment (HER) and National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) record for coastal and near-shore marine heritage assets (including palaeoenvironmental deposits), to a nationally agreed common minimum data standard, in order to permit an improved curatorial response to strategic coastal and marine planning or management initiatives at a national and regional level; 2) Provide a factual basis for the initial curatorial response to individual applications for commercial developments or schemes, in advance of more detailed evaluation and mitigation related to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and/or planning applications; 3) Enhance public understanding and enjoyment of coastal and maritime heritage; and 4) Assist Local Authority curatorial archaeologists in development control. This component of the RCZAS comprises a Desk-Based Assessment of readily available sources (i.e., sources not requiring primary research) only. Outputs of the project, which is due for completion in September 2018, will include a widely disseminated report, a GIS database for provision to Historic England, the Cornwall and Scilly HER, the Plymouth City HER, the Devon HER and the Archaeological Data Service (ADS), and a project design for the Phase 2 Field survey.

The study area is from Land's End to the county boundary between Devon and Cornwall/City of Plymouth in the east, including a small part of Devon that was excluded from the South Devon Coast RCZAS. The broad aims of the project are to: 1) Provide an enhanced Historic Environment (HER) and National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) record for coastal and near-shore marine heritage assets (including palaeoenvironmental deposits), to a nationally agreed common minimum data standard, in order to permit an improved curatorial response to strategic coastal and marine planning or management initiatives at a national and regional level; 2) Provide a factual basis for the initial curatorial response to individual applications for commercial developments or schemes, in advance of more detailed evaluation and mitigation related to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and/or planning applications; 3) Enhance public understanding and enjoyment of coastal and maritime heritage; and 4) Assist Local Authority curatorial archaeologists in development control. This component of the RCZAS comprises a Desk-Based Assessment of readily available sources (i.e., sources not requiring primary research) only. Outputs of the project, which is due for completion in September 2018, will include a widely disseminated report, a GIS database for provision to Historic England, the Cornwall and Scilly HER, the Plymouth City HER, the Devon HER and the Archaeological Data Service (ADS), and a project design for the Phase 2 Field survey.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit was commissioned by WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff (UK) Ltd on behalf of Highways England to carry out an archaeological watching brief during the digging of 116 Geological Investigation test pits along the 12.9 km route of a proposed upgrade to the A30 between Carland Cross and Chiverton Cross, near Truro, Cornwall. Excavation by the GI team was carried out with an archaeologist in attendance to record any features which are exposed during the ground disturbance. Fieldwork was undertaken between Monday 13th February and Thursday 23rd March 2017, often during wet and windy weather conditions. No archaeological features were revealed during the test pitting stage, however, flint flakes, blades and cores were found at Tregroggan and Ventonteague. These two areas have a high archaeological potential to reveal further evidence for prehistoric activity. However, as the total area excavated was minimal the results should be considered in the light of the desk-based assessment (forthcoming) and the results of future geophysical survey and evaluation trenching.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit undertook a programme of conservation and assessment of a pottery vessel recovered during evaluation trenching in 2017 along the route of a proposed upgrade of the A30 between Carland Cross and Chiverton Cross. The vessel was recovered from a shallow pit cut into a buried soil horizon at Nancarrow Farm, St Allen. The pot has been identified as a Food Vessel, a pottery type with a current known date range of c2300-1700 cal BC, spanning much of the Early Bronze Age period. The fill of the vessel contained a small amount of burnt bone fragments of uncertain species, largely concentrated at its base, quartz pebbles, fragments of possibly fired clay, and a small number of very small charcoal fragments or burnt plant macrofossils The scarcity of the pottery type in Cornwall and its association largely with funerary contexts means that it is of some considerable significance. There is a high potential for further analysis of this vessel and its contents to address research aims of the regional research framework. Recommendations for mitigation include geophysical survey of the immediate area, full excavation of identified features and deposits, and further analysis of the vessel and its contents as part of a post excavation programme of analysis and publication of mitigation of the road scheme as a whole.

Rapid Impact Assessment of archaeological sensitivity ahead of planning application for junction improvements.