Fields Farm Draycott Cross Staffordshire
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Fields Farm Draycott Cross Staffordshire Heritage Desk-Based Assessment for Solstice Renewables Ltd. CA Project: 5423 CA Report: 15285 June 2015 © Cotswold Archaeology Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment Land at Fields Farm Draycott Cross Staffordshire Heritage Desk-Based Assessment CA Project: 5423 CA Report: 15285 prepared by Elizabeth Pratt, Assistant Heritage Consultant date June 2015 checked by Duncan Coe, Principal Heritage Consultant date June 2015 approved by Duncan Coe, Principal Heritage Consultant signed date June 2015 issue 01 This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Exeter Building 11 41 Burners Lane South Stanley House Unit 8 Kemble Enterprise Park Kiln Farm Walworth Road Basepoint Business Centre Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Yeoford Way Gloucestershire Buckinghamshire Hampshire Marsh Barton Trading Estate GL7 6BQ MK1 3HA SP10 5LH Exeter EX2 8LB t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 564660 t. 01264 347630 t. 01392 826185 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 4 Outline ................................................................................................................ 4 Location and landscape context ......................................................................... 4 Scope ................................................................................................................. 4 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 5 Heritage asset significance ................................................................................. 6 The Setting of Heritage Assets ........................................................................... 8 3. PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT ........................................................................ 9 Legislative framework, national planning policy and relevant sector guidance .... 9 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act (1990) ......................... 9 National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) (2012) ............................ 10 Local planning policy .......................................................................................... 11 4. OVERVIEW OF THE HERITAGE RESOURCE .................................................. 12 Designated heritage assets ................................................................................ 12 Previous Archaeological Work ............................................................................ 13 Geology and the palaeoenvironment .................................................................. 13 Prehistoric (up to AD43) ..................................................................................... 13 Roman period (AD43 – 410) ............................................................................... 14 Medieval period (1066 – 1539) ........................................................................... 15 Post-medieval (1540 – 1800).............................................................................. 16 Modern (1800 – present) .................................................................................... 17 Undated ............................................................................................................. 17 5. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 18 Significance of Recorded Heritage Assets .......................................................... 18 Potential for archaeological remains ................................................................... 18 Previous Impacts ................................................................................................ 19 6. POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS .......................................................... 20 Summary of Proposals ....................................................................................... 20 Potential physical development effects ............................................................... 20 Potential non-physical development effects ........................................................ 20 Step 1 Assessment ............................................................................................ 21 Grade II Listed ‘The Fields Farmhouse’ (Fig. 3, 1) .............................................. 21 Grade II Listed ‘Callow Hill Farmhouse’ (Fig. 3) .................................................. 24 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 26 7. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................. 26 8. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 27 APPENDIX A: GAZETTEER OF RECORDED HERITAGE ASSETS AND OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT.......................................................... 30 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan, showing designated heritage assets within a 2km buffer Fig. 2 Archaeological heritage assets: recorded find spots and features Fig. 3 Built heritage assets, with inset showing the setting of The Fields Farmhouse Fig. 4 Tithe Map of Draycott in the Moors, c. 1840 Fig. 5 Extract from the 1890 Ordnance Survey map Fig. 6 Electricity pylons and telegraph poles cross through the site Fig. 7 Looking south-west towards the site from the farm track Fig. 8 Barns at Fields Farm can be seen from the southern area of the site Fig. 9 Distinctive field layout, adjacent to the north-east boundary of the site Fig. 10 Approaching The Fields Farmhouse via the farm track from Cheadle Road Fig. 11 Associative relationships between The Fields Farmhouse, barn and farmyard Fig. 12 View of turbine and vegetation concealing a small pond, from the northern elevation of The Fields Farmhouse Fig. 13 Approximate view from the southern elevation of The Fields Farmhouse Fig. 14 Distant view of Callow Hill Farm from the northern boundary of the site Fig. 15 Topography screens visibility of the site from Callow Hill Farm 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment SUMMARY Project Name: Fields Farm Location: Draycott Cross, Draycott in the Moor, near Cheadle, Staffordshire NGR: SJ 978 416 In May 2015 Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned by Solstice Renewables Ltd. to carry out a Heritage Desk-Based Assessment of land at Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire. The objective of the assessment was to identify the nature and extent of the heritage resource both within the site and its immediate environs. The site is proposed for solar development. No heritage assets are known to occur within the proposed development site; but there is some potential for buried archaeological remains. Geophysical survey has detected possible buried rectilinear and curvilinear features in the central and southern area of the site. It has been tentatively suggested that these features relate to former human activity. Two Grade II Listed Buildings, 'The Fields Farmhouse' and 'Callow Hill Farmhouse' have been subject to detailed settings assessment. It is considered that the construction of a solar farm will alter the character of the post-medieval agricultural hinterland of 'The Fields Farmhouse', by introducing built features that will cover an area of former cultivated land. However, such changes to setting will not harm the significance of this designated heritage asset. In the case of 'Callow Hill Farmhouse', distance and intervening topography will largely mask views to/from the proposed development site; and so no harm has been identified. In conclusion, this desk-based assessment has found no known heritage constraints to the proposed development at Fields Farm. Based on current understanding of the impacts of the scheme, the proposed development is not considered to conflict with local planning policy, the NPPF, or heritage legislation. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Fields Farm, Draycott Cross, Staffordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment 1. INTRODUCTION Outline 1.1 In May 2015 Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned by Solstice Renewables Ltd. to carry out a Heritage Desk-Based Assessment of land at Fields Farm, Draycott Cross. The objective of the assessment was to identify the nature and extent of the heritage resource both within the site and its immediate environs, in advance of solar development. Location and landscape context 1.2 The proposed development site (henceforth called ‘the site’) is located c. 770m east of the village of Forsbrook and c. 870m north of the hamlet of Draycott in the Moors (Fig. 1).The wider landscape is agricultural in character, principally comprising cultivated fields. The Grade II Listed ‘The Fields Farmhouse’ lies c. 170m east of the north-eastern corner of the site, with access via Cheadle Road c.430m to the east. This farm track