WHITECROSS ESTATE London EC1
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WHITECROSS ESTATE London EC1 London Borough of Islington Historic environment assessment December 2015 © Museum of London Archaeology 2015 Museum of London Archaeology Mortimer Wheeler House 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED tel 020 7410 2200 | fax 020 410 2201 www.museumoflondonarchaeology.org.uk general enquiries: [email protected] Whitecross Estate Islington London EC1 Historic environment assessment NGR 532443 182191 Sign-off history issue issue date prepared by reviewed by approved by reason for issue no. 1 09/01/2015 Jonathan Hutchings Jon Chandler Laura O Gorman First issue (Archaeology) Lead Consultant Contract Manager Juan Jose Fuldain Archaeology (Graphics) 2 04/02/2015 Jonathan Hutchings - Laura O Gorman Second Issue (Archaeology) Contract Manager With Peabody Juan Jose Fuldain Comments (Graphics) 3 10/12/2015 Craig Stewart Jon Chandler Christina Holloway Third Issue (Archaeology) Lead Consultant Contract Manager With impacts assessed Juan Jose Fuldain Archaeology 4 18/12/2015 Craig Stewart Jon Chandler Christina Holloway Fourth issue (Archaeology) Lead Consultant Contract Manager With revised text Juan Jose Fuldain Archaeology MOLA code: P0436 www.mola.org.uk MOLA Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED tel 0207 410 2200 fax 0207 410 2201 email: [email protected] Museum of London Archaeology is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England and Wales Company registration number 07751831 Charity registration number 1143574 Registered office Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED Contents Executive summary 4 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Origin and scope of the report 5 1.2 Designated heritage assets 5 1.3 Aims and objectives 6 2 Methodology and sources consulted 7 3 Site location, topography and geology 9 3.1 Site location 9 3.2 Topography 9 3.3 Geology 9 4 Archaeological and historical background 11 4.1 Overview of past investigations 11 4.2 Chronological summary 11 5 Statement of significance 17 5.1 Introduction 17 5.2 Factors affecting archaeological survival 17 5.3 Archaeological potential and significance 18 6 Impact of proposals 20 6.1 Proposals 20 6.2 Implications 20 7 Conclusion and recommendations 22 8 Gazetteer of known historic environment assets 24 9 Planning framework 29 9.1 Statutory protection 29 9.2 National Planning Policy Framework 29 9.3 Greater London regional policy 31 9.4 Local planning policy 32 10 Determining significance 35 11 Non-archaeological constraints 36 12 Glossary 37 13 Bibliography 39 13.1 Published and documentary sources 39 13.2 Other Sources 39 13.3 Cartographic sources 39 Historic Environment Assessment © MOLA 2015 1 P:\ISLI\1261\na\Assessments\Whitecross Estate HEA_17-12-2015.docx Figures Cover: Rocque's map of 1746. Fig 1 Site location Fig 2 Historic environment features Fig 2a Areas surveyed by ground-penetrating radar (after Sandberg, dwg ref 55471-R-002, Rev -, dated October 2015) Fig 3 Agas map of 1562 Fig 4 Illustration of the Fortune Playhouse by C W Hodges Fig 5 Faithorne and Newcourt's map of 1658 Fig 6 Ogilby and Morgan's map of 1676 Fig 7 Rocque's map of 1746 Fig 8 Horwood's map of 1799 (Faden's 1813 revision) Fig 9 Ordnance Survey 1st edition 25”: mile map of 1877 Fig 3 Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 25”: mile map of 1896 Fig 4 London County Council (LCC) Bomb Damage Map of 1939–45 Fig 5 Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 scale map of 1951 Fig 6 Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 scale map of 1960 Fig 7 Photo of the plaque marking Edward Alleyn’s Fortune Playhouse on Fortune Street. Taken facing North. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 8 Photo of the existing mid-20th century Peabody Tower located immediately east of Golden Lane. Taken facing north. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 9 Photo of the existing mid-20th century Banner House to the south of Banner Street. Taken facing west. MOLA photo 2014 Fig 10 Photo of access ramp to the basement level beneath Banner House. Access to the basement level was not possible. Taken facing south. MOLA photo 2014 Fig 11 Photo of the existing late-19th century buildings, including Alleyn House, to the north of Dufferin Street. Taken facing west. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 19 Photo of the existing late-19th century and late-20th century buildings to the north of Chequer Street. Taken facing north-west. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 12 Photo of the existing late-19th century Dufferin Court, to the south of Dufferin Street. Taken facing south-west. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 13 Photo of the existing late-19th century Peabody Estate buildings along Dufferin Street showing the gradual slope in topography. Taken facing east. MOLA photo 2014 Fig 14 Photo of Fortune Street as existing. Taken facing east. MOLA photo 2014 Fig 15 Photo of the Green Centre, within the West Area. This is the location of the Cripplegate Poor Ground (1636–1877). Taken facing east. MOLA photo 2014 Fig 16 Photo of area of open ground located to the south of Banner House. Taken facing east. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 17 Photo of retaining wall and raised car park area at the rear of Dufferin Court, immediately north of Errol Street. Taken facing north. MOLA photo 2014. Fig 18 Photo of the existing late-19th century buildings and open courtyard in the eastern most area of the Peabody Estate. Taken facing south-west. MOLA photo 2014. Historic Environment Assessment © MOLA 2015 2 P:\ISLI\1261\na\Assessments\Whitecross Estate HEA_17-12-2015.docx Fig 19 Plan of proposed landscape and construction works – west (after Jan Kattein Architects, project no 060, dwg ref SK002, Rev B, 10/08/2015) Fig 20 Plan of proposed landscape and construction works – west (after Jan Kattein Architects, project no 060, dwg ref SK003, Rev A, 10/08/2015) Historic Environment Assessment © MOLA 2015 3 P:\ISLI\1261\na\Assessments\Whitecross Estate HEA_17-12-2015.docx Executive summary NPS Group has commissioned MOLA to carry out a historic environment assessment in advance of proposed development at the Whitecross Estate in the London Borough of Islington. The site comprises four parcels of land forming the Peabody residential housing estate. These are Peabody Court in the west (‘Area A’); Chequer Street in the centre (Area B); Dufferin Court in the south (Area C) and the Dufferin Street site in the east (Area D). The scheme comprises the construction of a small number of new residential buildings with piled foundations following demolition of existing structures (which date to the 20th century), and soft and hard landscaping of much of the currently open areas. No new basements are proposed; new services would be laid. The whole site lies within the Moorgate Archaeological Priority Area (APA), which defines an area of early post-medieval suburban expansion. Other than Peabody Court, the entire site lies within St Luke’s Conservation Area. This desk-based study assesses the impact on buried heritage assets (archaeological remains). Although above ground heritage assets (historic structures) are not discussed in detail, they have been noted where they assist in the archaeological interpretation of the site. Buried heritage assets that may be affected by the proposals comprise: Remains of the Fortune Playhouse (1600–56). Edward Alleyn’s Shakespearean playhouse lay between Golden Lane and Whitecross Street in the western part of the site (Area A): Fortune Street was laid out through the former ‘Playhouse Yard’. There is high potential for remains of the playhouse which, if extensive, might potentially be of very high significance. Post-medieval burials. A former burial ground, the Cripplegate Poor Ground lies entirely within the southern half of Peabody Court in the western part of the site (Area A). The north- eastern extent of Area B extends into the western part of a former Quaker burial ground. It is considered likely that human remains, of high significance, are still present in these areas. The footings of post-medieval buildings. The site was developed from the 16th century onwards for shops and tenements, and industrial activity. There is high potential for associated remains, probably of low or medium significance. Later medieval remains. Whitecross Street is of medieval origin, and led towards the city gate at Cripplegate. There is moderate potential for evidence of medieval settlement fronting the road, of medium significance, and of agriculture and quarrying, of low significance. The proposed infill buildings would be located outside the likely extent of the two known burial grounds and possible site of the Fortune Playhouse. The piled foundations for the new buildings would however have an impact of locally removing post-medieval any later medieval building remains within each pile footprint. The proposed landscaping is assumed to extend to a depth of 0.6m, and may be within the edges of the Cripplegate Poor Ground or the Quaker burial ground: it might therefore have an impact on burials, along with any late 19th century and later remains. It is unlikely to have an impact on surviving remains of the Fortune Playhouse as these are likely to be at a greater depth. Proposed hedge and shrub planting may have a similar localised impact up to 1.0m deep. New services and drainage are assumed to extend to a depth of 1.0–1.5m; their location is not currently known but these would remove remains to this depth, which might include burials, remains of the playhouse and other post-medieval remains. In view of the site’s location within an APA, and its archaeological potential, trial evaluation is recommended in order to clarify the presence and nature of any especially sensitive remains – ie the Fortune Playhouse and burials – and in particular the depth and extent of such remains below current ground level, so that the likely impact of the various proposals can be determined.