Land at Buckingham Road Winslow Buckinghamshire

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Land at Buckingham Road Winslow

Buckinghamshire

Archaeological Evaluation

for CgMs Consulting

on behalf of Crevichon Properties

CA Project: 660730 CA Report: 16427

July 2016

Land at Buckingham Road Winslow Buckinghamshire

Archaeological Evaluation

CA Project: 660730 CA Report: 16427

Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 8/07/2016 Andrew SRJ Internal QA SRJ Whelan review

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.

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ...... 4

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...... 5

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 5

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-6) ...... 6

6. THE FINDS ...... 7

7. DISCUSSION ...... 8

8. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 9

9. REFERENCES ...... 10

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ...... 11 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS ...... 12 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM ...... 13

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan, showing area of earthwork survey (1:500 & 1:7500) Fig. 3 Site, looking north-east (photograph) Fig. 4 Site, looking and south-west (photograph) Fig. 5 Potential location of windmill mound earthwork, looking west (photograph) Fig. 6 Trench 1: section and photograph (1:50)

1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

SUMMARY

Project Name: Land at Buckingham Road Location: Winslow, Buckinghamshire NGR: SP 7639 2850 Type: Evaluation Date: 4 to 6 July 2016 Planning Reference: Aylesbury Vale District Council 13/02112/AOP; CBC10494 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Buckingham County Museum Site Code: LBRW 16

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July 2016 at land at Buckingham Road, Winslow. The work was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to planning permission for the commercial development of the site. The evaluation comprised the excavation of one trench.

The Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record (HER) records the presence within the site of a post-medieval windmill (HER 0429800000). The possible windmill base targeted by the evaluation was found to be an isolated section of headland, truncated by a later, probably post-medieval, pond.

Extant ridge and furrow earthworks, the remains of the medieval open field system that once surrounded the village of Winslow, were encountered across the entire site.

2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In July 2016, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire (centred on NGR: SP 7639 2850; Fig. 1). The evaluation, which formed the first stage of a two phase programme of archaeological investigation, was commissioned by CgMs Consulting on behalf Crevichon Properties. The second phase, to comprise a Level 1 building survey of Second World War infrastructure, forms part of a separate development and will not be considered within this report.

1.2 The evaluation was undertaken to fulfil a planning condition attached to the development consent by Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC; planning ref: 13/02112/AOP, CBC10494; Condition 9) for B1 (Business), B2 (General Industry) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) uses with ancillary office accommodation, provision of a railway station with associated parking, landscaping and access.

1.3 The scope of the evaluation, which comprised the excavation of one trench, was defined during discussion between Richard Smalley, Senior Archaeological Consultant, CgMs Consulting and Phil Markham, Senior Planning Archaeologist, Buckinghamshire County Council (SPABCC; the archaeological advisor to AVDC).

1.4 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed written scheme of investigation (WSI) produced by CgMs (2015). The fieldwork followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), the Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (Historic England 2015). It was monitored by Phil Markham, including a site visit on 5 July 2016.

The site 1.5 The proposed development area is approximately 5 ha in size, located to the north- west of Winslow. The site occupies a broadly triangular parcel of land comprising two pasture fields (Figs 2-4). The site is bounded to the north-east by Buckingham Road, to the south by the Bletchley to Bicester Varsity railway line, and to the west by Furze lane. The site lies at approximately 110m above Ordnance Datum (aOD)

3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

on relatively level ground, which gently undulates due to the presence of extant ridge and furrow earthworks.

1.6 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Weymouth Member mudstone of the Jurassic period overlain by superficial deposits of Mid Pleistocene Till (BGS 2016). Mid brown-yellow silty clay was encountered during the evaluation.

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 The archaeological and historical background of the site has been presented in an archaeological desktop assessment and geophysical survey (Samuel Rose 1999/ASWYAS 1999) and a subsequent WSI produced by CgMs (2015). The results of these are summarised below.

Post-medieval (1540 to 1800) 2.2 The Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record (HER) records a possible windmill mound within the site (HER 0429800000). The windmill is depicted on the Salden estate map of 1599 and subsequently on Morden’s map of Buckinghamshire 1695. Field-name evidence, such as “Mill Knob” and “Mill Ground” further indicate the former presence of a windmill within the site. A slight earthwork at the northern apex of the site was identified through analysis of historic aerial photographs and further confirmed during a site visit conducted by CgMs in 2015 (Fig. 5). An area of slight magnetic enhancement was also noted in this area during geophysical survey of the site (ASWYAS 1999).

Modern (1800 to present) 2.3 The HER records the presence of three Second World War structures within the eastern part of the site; this area forms a separate development outside the scope of this report. The military structures were formerly contained within a rectangular compound accessed from Buckingham Road and appear to represent an accommodation block/stores with possible approach guides for Little Horwood Airfield to the north.

4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 The objectives of the evaluation, as detailed in the WSI (CgMs 2015), were to provide information about the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality, in accordance Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). This information will enable AVDC to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the development proposal, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012).

4. METHODOLOGY

4.1 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of one trench, measuring 7.5m in length and 1.6m in width, in the location shown in figure 2. Following on-site assessment, the trench was positioned in order to best evaluate the earthwork identified in the north- western corner of the site. Trenches were surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4 Survey Manual.

4.2 Topsoil was removed by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket, thereafter all excavation proceeded by hand. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual.

4.3 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other Samples from Archaeological Sites; however, no deposits were identified that required sampling. All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 3 Treatment of Finds Immediately after Excavation.

4.4 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Milton Keynes. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the artefacts will be deposited with Buckingham County Museum along with the site archive. A summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix C, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.

5 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-6)

5.1 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts and finds are to be found in Appendices A and B respectively.

Medieval to modern (1066 – present) 5.2 Regularly spaced ridge and furrow earthworks, the remains of an open field system, were recorded across the site. The furrows were typically between 0.8m-1.35m wide. Their wide spacing, at c. 5m to 8m apart, and the slight curve in their alignment, suggests that they are probably medieval in date.

Trench 1 (Figs 2-6) 5.3 Trench one measured 7.5m in length and 1.6m in width. The geological substrate (107), which comprised mid brown-yellow silty clay, was revealed at a depth of between 0.66m and 0.9m below present ground level. This was overlain in the southern part of the trench by light grey-brown clay silt deposit 103, which measured 0.5m thick and was identified for a length of 2.2m within the trench (Fig. 6; section AA). It contained two sherds of late 18th to 19th-century pottery as well as flint, fired clay and ceramic building material. Deposit 103 extended beyond the southern baulk of the trench, where it formed one of several broadly north/south orientated ridges.

5.4 Directly overlying the natural substrate in the northern part of the trench was deposit 104. This comprised light yellow-brown clay silt, which contained one sherd of 16th to 17th-century pottery, flint, slag and CBM as well as three sherds of heavily abraded residual Roman pottery (Fig. 6; section AA). This deposit comprised part of a broadly east/west aligned earthwork which had formed against the northern boundary of the site. It is interpreted as a plough headland created where a plough and team turn at the end of a furrow. The headland earthwork was partially truncated by a large undated pit, interpreted as a post-medieval pond, located to the east of Trench 1 (Fig. 2).

5.5 Deposits 103 and 104 were cut by modern land drain 105. No finds were recovered from its earliest encountered fill 106, which was overlain by fill 102, which contained four sherds of CBM and three sherds of fired clay. Topsoil 100 sealed deposits 103 and 104 and the fill 102 of land drain 105.

6 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

6. THE FINDS

6.1 Artefactual material recovered from the evaluation is listed in Appendix B and discussed further below.

Pottery 6.2 A total of six sherds (47g) of pottery were recorded from two deposits. Three unfeatured bodysherds (15g) dating to the Roman period were recorded from headland layer 104. The small and very abraded sherds occur in a wheelthrown coarse, sandy greyware fabric (GW), probably of Alice Holt type, a fabric produced across the mid 1st to 4th/early 5th centuries.

6.3 Three sherds (32g) dating to the post-medieval/modern periods were recorded from two deposits. Glazed earthenware, of a type typically produced from the mid 16th to 18th century, was recorded from ridge layer 103. A harder ‘refined’ glazed earthenware, probably dating from the 16th to 17th centuries, was recorded from headland layer 104. A single sherd of refined whiteware was recorded from ridge layer 103, dateable from the late 18th to 19th century.

Other material 6.4 A total of 58 fragments (932g) of ceramic building material (CBM) was recorded from three deposits. Flat roof tile and field drain fragments, dateable to the post- medieval/modern periods, were recorded from ridge layer 103 and headland layer 104. Also recorded in these deposits and from land drain 105 (fill 102) are miscellaneous fragments of uncertain form and function.

6.5 Five items (35g) of prehistoric worked flint were recorded from two deposits. All are flakes with no secondary working and for which close dating is not possible. The raw material is a mid brown/orange flint. The flakes recovered from headland layer 104 have a thinned and abraded cortex, suggestive of a secondary gravel deposit source

7 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

7. DISCUSSION

7.1 The results of the evaluation correlate well with the preceding geophysical survey, which identified anomalies representing components of a former open field system across the site (ASWYAS 1999).

7.2 The Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record (HER) records the presence within the site of a post-medieval windmill and Second World War infrastructure. The current works found no evidence for the windmill base to survive within the site. The possible windmill base targeted by the evaluation was found to be an isolated section of headland, separated from the remainder of the headland by a later, probably post-medieval, pond. The Second World War structures lie outside of the current development.

Prehistoric (pre-AD 43) 7.3 Prehistoric activity is represented by residual lithic material recovered from headland layer 104. These artefacts are not closely dateable, although flint flake debitage of this type could be of a Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date. No further evidence of prehistoric activity was identified during the evaluation. Such limited evidence for this period suggests that activity was most probably transient in nature and has left no evidence in the form of archaeological features.

Romano-British (AD 43 to AD 410) 7.4 Romano-British activity is represented by three unfeatured body sherds of mid 1st to 4th/early 5th-century AD pottery recovered from headland layer 104. The small and much abraded sherds are considered residual within this context. No features of Romano-British date were identified during the evaluation and the preceding geophysical survey did not identify any potential areas of Romano-British activity.

Medieval to post-medieval (1066 to 1800) 7.5 The ridge and furrow earthworks recorded across the site are the remains of a medieval open field system, which include a probable headland surviving at the northern end of the field (Figs 2, 3, 5 and 6). The earthworks are generally well- preserved, although later agricultural use of the site and the construction of a 24” diameter gas pipeline running north-east to south-west across the site with a c. 20m wide easement, have substantially truncated the earthworks in places.

7.6 The remains of the open field system indicate that the area was used as arable land in the medieval period. A medieval date for the earthworks is suggested by the spacing of the selions (individual strips) and the reversed S-shaped curve evident in their alignment (Taylor 1975, 82; Rackham 1986, 167-9). The field was enclosed under the Inclosure Award for Winslow 1767. At this stage the land was probably turned over to pasture, at least in part, as is suggested by the survival of the medieval ridge and furrow earthworks in this part of the site. The field system corresponds with the general alignment of the surrounding field systems depicted on historic and current Ordnance Survey mapping. These surrounding field systems predominantly relate to Parliamentary Enclosures of the post-medieval period.

Modern (1800 to present) 7.7 The present boundaries of the site along Buckingham Road and Furze Lane are largely unchanged from the time of Enclosure. The presence of a headland at the northern boundary of site suggests that this would have been the boundary during the medieval period. Reference to historic mapping shows that the field originally extended further to the south, but was bisected in 1845 with the construction of the Bletchley to Oxford Railway by the Buckinghamshire Railway Company. The eastern portion of the field was further subdivided during the 20th century by the construction of an outpost of Little Horwood Airfield.

Undated 7.8 A large, undated pit, located to the east of Trench 1, is interpreted as a pond relating to the site’s use as pasture during the post-medieval period. This pond cuts the headland, creating an isolated mound in the north-western part of the site. The pond was not further investigated, but post-dates the creation of the headland and ridge and furrow.

8. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Andrew Whelan, assisted by Dan Riley. The report was written by Andrew Whelan. The finds report was written by Katie Marsden and the illustrations were prepared by Leo Heatley. The archive has been compiled by Emily Evans, and prepared for deposition by Jessica Cook. The project was managed for CA by Stuart Joyce.

9. REFERENCES

ASWYAS 1999 Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire: Geophysical Survey. Report No. 749

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2015 Geology of Britain Viewer http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geology viewer_google/googleviewer.html Accessed 8 July 2016

CgMs 2015 Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Works In respect of Land at Buckingham Road Winslow, Buckinghamshire. Ref: RAJS/20043

DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government) 2012 National Planning Policy Framework

Rackham, O, 1986 History of the Countryside, London, Phoenix Press

Samuel Rose 1999 Archaeological Desktop Assessment and Geophysical Survey: Land at Furze Lane-Buckingham Road, Winslow, Bucks

Taylor, C, 1975 Fields in the English Landscape, London, J M Dent & Sons Ltd

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench Context Type Fill of Context Description L W D Spot-date No. No. interpretation (m) (m) (m) 1 100 Layer Topsoil Dark grey brown loamy silts, 7.5 1.6 0.25 Modern with rooting. 1 101 void 1 102 Fill 105 Second fill of Mid grey brown sandy silts. >1.6 2 0.34 land drain 1 103 Layer Ridge Light grey brown clay silt, with >2.2 >1.6 0.5 stones. 1 104 Layer Headland Light yellowish brown clay silt, >4.5 >1.6 0.72 with stones and iron stones. 1 105 Cut Field drain Field drain east west aligned. >1.6 0.55 1 106 Fill 105 Fill of land drain Field Drain >1.6 0.55 1 107 Layer Natural Mid brown yellow silty clay. >7.5 >1.6

APPENDIX B: THE FINDS

Context Class Description Ct. Wt.(g) Spot-date 102 CBM Misc. 4 10 fired clay 3 4 103 post-medieval pottery GEW 1 23 LC18-C19 post-medieval pottery RWW 1 4 CBM flat roof tile, drain, misc 7 364 fired clay 1 11 flint 1 6 104 post-medieval pottery Ref GEW 1 5 C16-C17 ?Roman pottery GW 3 15 CBM flat roof tile, drain, misc 47 558 flint flakes 4 29 industrial waste 1 1 slag 1 60

Fabric code table

Period Description Code Roman Coarse, sandy greyware GW post-medieval/modern Glazed earthenware GEW Refined glazed earthenware Ref GEW Refined whiteware BG EW

APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire Short description An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July 2016 at land at Buckingham Road, Winslow. The work was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to planning permission for the commercial development of the site. The evaluation comprised the excavation of one trench.

Extant ridge and furrow earthworks, the remains of the medieval open field system that once surrounded the village of Winslow, were encountered across the entire site. Project dates 4 to 6 July 2016 Project type Archaeological field evaluation Previous work ASWYAS 1999 Geophysics Samuel Rose 1999 DBA Future work Unknown PROJECT LOCATION Site Location Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow, Buckinghamshire Study area (M2/ha) 5 ha Site co-ordinates SP 7639 2850 PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology Project Brief originator N/A Project Design (WSI) originator CgMs Consulting Project Manager CA – Stuart Joyce; CgMs – Richard Smalley Project Supervisor Andrew Whelan MONUMENT TYPE Ridge and furrow with headland SIGNIFICANT FINDS None PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of archive Content Physical Pottery, CBM, fired clay and flint Paper WSI, pro forma Buckingham County Museum registers, recording forms and photographs Digital Digital photographs, database, CAD files BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2016 Land at Buckingham Road, Winslow: Archaeological Evaluation. CA typescript report 16427