Beechwood House Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire Archaeological Evaluation

for Origin Leisure Ltd

on behalf of Mr & Mrs Melville-Ross

CA Project: 661136 CA Report: 18357 Site Code: BEEC18 Accession Number: AYBCM:2018.9

June 2018

Beechwood House Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury Buckinghamshire

Archaeological Evaluation

CA Project: 661136 CA Report: 18357 Site Code: BEEC18 Accession Number: AYBCM:2018.9

Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 30/07/2018 JC MPH Draft Client comment

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 ...... 3

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

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 5

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2 AND 3) ...... 6

6. DISCUSSION ...... 6

7. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 7

8. REFERENCES ...... 7

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ...... 9 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM ...... 10

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:500) Fig. 3 Photographs

1 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

SUMMARY

Project Name: Beechwood House Location: Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0SB NGR: 468673 216074 Type: Evaluation Date: 9 July 2018 Planning Reference: 18/00414/APP Location of Archive: Buckinghamshire County Museum Accession Number: AYBCM:2018.9 Site Code: BEEC18

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July 2018 on land at Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0SB. One trench was excavated to inform a planning application for the construction of an indoor hydrotherapy pool. The principle aims and objectives were to assess the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality, to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, and to consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and avoid or minimise any such impact.

No features or deposits of archaeological significance were identified during the evaluation, and no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered.

2 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In July 2018 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Origin Leisure Ltd on behalf of Mr and Mrs Melville-Ross at Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0SB (centred at NGR: 468673 216074); Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to inform a planning application for an indoor hydrotherapy pool.

1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological evaluation provided on behalf of the local planning authority (Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC); ref: no. 18/00414/APP) by Buckinghamshire County Council; defined by a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2018), which was approved by Philip Markham (Senior Archaeology Officer for Buckinghamshire County Council (SAOBCC). The fieldwork also adhered to the Standard and guidance for archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). It was monitored by Philip Markham; though no on site monitors’ meeting was required due to the absence of exposed archaeological remains within the site.

The site 1.3 The proposed development area measures c.0.5ha, and is located within the grounds of Beechwood House directly to the east of a garage (Fig. 2). The wider site comprises residential buildings surrounded by lawns and grassland with stands of trees to the north and south. The site is bounded to the north by woodland, to the east by open grassland, to the south by an unnamed road and to the west by another unnamed road leading to Wotton house. The site lies at c.76m above Ordnance Survey (aOD) on generally flat land.

1.4 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as West Walton Formation Mudstone of the Jurassic Period with the local environment dominated by shallow seas (BGS 2018). No sedimentary deposits are recorded.

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 An archaeological and historical background for the site is summarised below and has been drawn from archaeological investigations and assessments in the surrounding area. These resources comprise: an archaeological desk-based

3 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

assessment of the South Pavilion, Wotton House (JMHS 2007); and, archaeological investigations within the grounds of Wotton House (JMHS 2007a, 2007b, 2010 and 2012), accessed through the Archaeology Data Service (ADS 2018). At the time of writing the Heritage Gateway facility for Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record (HER) was not accessible online.

Prehistoric and Roman (Pre AD 43 – AD 410) 2.2 There is no recorded archaeological evidence dating to these periods within the site. Residual Roman period remains have, however, been recovered from archaeological investigations in the South Pavilion of Wotton house directly to the west of the site.

Medieval and Post-medieval (AD 410 – 1800) 2.3 The earliest documentary reference to Wotton Underwood was made in the charter of AD 840 to 852, which was concerned with the transfer of a royal estate at Wotton. Further documentary evidence for a Manor at Wotton was been recorded in AD 1066 and in 1255.

2.4 A map of Wotton Underwood dated to 1649 shows the layout of the village before the construction of Wotton House. The site, which is directly to the west of Wotton House, lies within the village layout. Wotton House and the Coach House (South Pavilion) are both Grade I Listed buildings that lie within a Grade II Registered Park and Gardens.

2.5 The 1649 map shows the village settlement running along the line of the north avenue of Wotton House, through the grounds of the South Pavilion. It is probable that the focus of the village at this point lay around the church which is located c.225m to the south-east of the site. The origins of All Saints Church are thought to date to the 12th century, a lintel being the only surviving element of the church that has clearly been re-used.

2.6 In 1704 construction of a new manor began, in order to replace the old manor house, thought to have been constructed a little to the north-west of the old house. Formal gardens and landscaped parks were extended between 1739 and 1760. Around this time it is thought that most of the medieval and later housing along the line of the north avenue was removed. Wotton House was badly damaged by fire in 1820 and rebuilt between 1821 and 1822.

4 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

2.7 The location of the site, directly to the south-east of the manor and between the manor and the church, had some potential to reveal archaeological evidence associated with this period of activity.

2.8 The outlines of crofts mapped in 1649 appear on aerial photographs to the west of Wotton house. Traces of earthworks, including building platforms, have been noted close to the church, with a possible located moat 550m to the north of the site. Areas of ridge and furrow have also been recorded in wider environs in Wotton Underwood. The closest are to the east and south-east of the site c.100m away. Medieval pottery has also been collected c.425m to the south-west of the site.

2.9 Recent archaeological investigations carried out at the South Pavilion of Wotton House, directly to the north-east of the site, revealed medieval house remains and pits dating to the mid/late 11th and 14th centuries with some residual Roman period material being recovered. Evidence of formal gardens was also identified; sealed by deposits dating to the 18th century.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 The objectives of the evaluation 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 with the Standard and guidance for archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), the evaluation was designed to be minimally intrusive and minimally destructive to archaeological remains. The information gathered 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 2018).

4. METHODOLOGY

4.1 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of one trench, 10m long and 1.8m wide, in the location shown on the attached plan (Fig. 2). The trench was set out on OS National Grid (NGR) co-ordinates using Leica GPS and surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4: Survey Manual.

5 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

4.2 The trench was excavated by a mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the natural substrate. No archaeological deposits were encountered.

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. No deposits were identified that required sampling and no artefacts were recovered.

4.4 The archive from the evaluation is currently held by CA at its office in Milton Keynes and will be deposited with Buckinghamshire County Museum under accession number AYBCM:2018.9. A summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix B, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2 AND 3)

5.1 This section provides a description of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts, are to be found in Appendix A.

Trench 1 (Figs 2 and 3) 5.2 The natural geological substrate was observed at a depth of 0.7m, and recorded as mid-yellow compact silty clay. This was sealed by a subsoil deposit comprising mid- yellow brown compact silty clay, 0.25m in thickness. The subsoil was overlain by topsoil measuring 0.45m thick and comprising dark yellow grey compact silty clay. An abundance of modern material including brick, metal and glass was indicative of the deliberate make-up and levelling of the modern ground surface.

5.3 No archaeologically significant remains were identified within the trench.

6. DISCUSSION

6.1 No features of archaeological significance were located within Trench 1 during the archaeological evaluation, and whilst there was evidence of a high concentration of

6 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

modern material within the topsoil, there was no evidence of disturbance through the subsoil or deeper into the underlying geological substrate, with the exception of a single modern water pipe. The evident lack of archaeological remains demonstrated that past human activity within the area of Trench 1 did not pre-date the construction of the current house and surrounding gardens.

7. CA PROJECT TEAM

7.1 Fieldwork was undertaken by James Coyne, assisted by Ed Grenier. The report was written by James Coyne. The illustrations were prepared by Esther Escudero. The archive has been compiled by Emily Evans, and prepared for deposition by Hazel O’Neill. The project was managed for CA by Mark Hewson.

8. REFERENCES

ADS (Archaeology Data Service) 2018 http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/ Accessed 5 June 2018

BCAS (Buckinghamshire County Council Archaeology Service) 2014 Generic Brief for an Archaeological Evaluation

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2016 Geology of Britain Viewer http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html Accessed 5 June 2018

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2018 Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Evaluation

CIfA (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists) 2014 Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation

DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government) 2018 National Planning Policy Framework

JMHS (John Moores Heritage Services) 2007 An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of South Pavilion, Wotton House, Wotton Underwood.

7 © Cotswold Archaeology Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation

JMHS (John Moores Heritage Services) 2007a An Archaeological Evaluation Report, The South Pavilion, Wotton Underwood.

JMHS (John Moores Heritage Services) 2007b Supplementary Archaeological Evaluation Report, The South Pavilion, Wotton Underwood.

JMHS (John Moores Heritage Services) 2010 An Archaeological Watching Brief at the Old Vicarage, Wotton Underwood.

JMHS (John Moores Heritage Services) 2012 An Archaeological Intervention at the South Pavilion, Wotton Underwood.

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench Context Type Fill of Context Description L W (m) D (m) Spot-date No. No. interpretation (m) 1 100 Layer N/A Topsoil Dark yellow grey compact silty clay. N/A N/A 0.45 1 101 Layer N/A Subsoil Mid-yellow brown compact silty clay. N/A N/A 0.25 1 102 Layer N/A Natural Mid-yellow grey compact silty clay. N/A N/A N/A

APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood Short description An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July 2018 on land at Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0SB. One trench was excavated to inform a planning application for the construction of an indoor hydrotherapy pool. The principle aims and objectives were to assess the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality, to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, and to consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and avoid or minimise any such impact.

No features or deposits of archaeological significance were identified during the evaluation, and no artefactual material pre- dating the modern period was recovered. Project dates Project type Archaeological evaluation.

Previous work Desk based assessment and archaeological evaluation, 2007, archaeological watching brief, 2010 and archaeological intervention, 2012, John Moore Heritage Services. Future work Unknown PROJECT LOCATION Site Location Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Study area (M2/ha) 18m2 Site co-ordinates 468673 216074

PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology Project Brief originator Buckinghamshire County Council Project Design (WSI) originator Cotswold Archaeology

Project Manager Mark Hewson Project Supervisor James Coyne MONUMENT TYPE None SIGNIFICANT FINDS None PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of archive Content (e.g. pottery, (museum/Accession no.) animal bone etc)

Physical None Paper Trench Recording Form, Photographic Register. Digital Database, digital photos. BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2018 Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation. CA typescript report 18357

10 4 467000 4 469000 4 471000 6 6 7 7 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

221800018000

221600016000

221400014000

Andover 01264 347630 WARWICKSHIRE N Cirencester 01285 771022 Cotswold Exeter 01392 826185 Archaeology Milton Keynes 01908 564660 MILTON KEYNES w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

ORTHAMPTONSHIRE N BUCKINGHAMSHIRE e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE LUTON BEDFORDSHIRE Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, IRE Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire ORDSH OXFORDSHIRE HERTF FIGURE TITLE Site location plan

READING SLOUGH 0 1km London WEST DRAWN BY EE PROJECT NO.661136 FIGURE NO. BOUROUGH OF BERKSHIRE © Crown copyright and database rights 2018 CHECKED BY DJB DATE 24/07/2018 SWINDON WINDSOR AND Ordnance Survey 0100031673 APPROVED BY MPH SCALE@A4 1:25,000 MAIDENHEAD 1 LTSHIRE 4 4 468650 6 6 8 8 7 6 00 5 0

221610016100

private road

Andover 01264 347630 N Cirencester 01285 771022 Cotswold Exeter 01392 826185 Archaeology Milton Keynes 01908 564660 w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected]

Site Boundary PROJECT TITLE Evaluation trench Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Modern FIGURE TITLE Proposed Hydrotherapy Pool Footprint Trench location plan

025m1:500

DRAWN BY EE PROJECT NO. 661136 FIGURE NO. CHECKED BY DJB DATE 24/07/2018 © Crown copyright and database rights 2018 Ordnance Survey 0100031673 APPROVED BY MPH SCALE@A4 1:500 2 General view of site looking north-west

Trench 1, looking south-east (1m scales)

Andover 01264 347630 Cirencester 01285 771022 Cotswold Exeter 01392 826185 Archaeology Milton Keynes 01908 564660 w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE Beechwood House, Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

FIGURE TITLE Photographs

DRAWN BY EE PROJECT NO. 661136 FIGURE NO. CHECKED BY DJB DATE 24/07/2018 APPROVED BY MPH SCALE@A4 NA 3