Archaeological Deskbased Assessment of land at DOWN ROAD BEXHILL For White Young Green Environmental and client Lorna Richardson BA Archaeological Deskbased Assessment of land at DOWN ROAD BEXHILL
Client: White Young Green Environmental
Local Authority: Rother District Council
NGR: 573435 ,108386
Planning App:
Author(s): L.. Richardson
Doc Ref: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2
Date: February 08
A trading name of the L P : Partnership Ltd.
The Truman Brewery | 91 Brick Lane | London, E1 6QL | +44 [0]20 7 770 6045 | +44 [0]20 7 691 7245 www.lparchaeology.com TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Figures
Table of Plates
Table of Appendices
Abstract
1. Introduction and Scope of Study
2. Planning Background
3. Geology and Topography
4. Archaeological and Historical Background
5. Site Conditions and the Proposed Redevelopment
6. Summary and Conclusions
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 - Site Location General
Figure 2 - Site Location Detail
Figure 3 - Prehistoric and Roman Activity
Figure 4 - Medieval and Post Medieval Activity
Figure 5 - Speed's Map of Sussex 1610
Figure 6 - Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 1899
Figure 7 - Ordnance Survey 1909
Figure 8 - Ordnance Survey 1930 TABLE OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Sources Consulted
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 Abstract A site located at Down Road, Bexhill is proposed for redevelopment. This report contains results of cartographic, archaeological, and documentary research into the site undertaken by L – P : Archaeology on behalf of WYGE.
The site does not contain any scheduled monuments or listed buildings. The site does not fall within a council designated Conservation Area.
The immediate vicinity of the site did not see extensive activity during the Prehistoric or Roman periods. During the Early Medieval period a manorial complex was established in the hamlet of Bexhill, and a church was constructed by the early 12th century. Settlement remained small and scattered in scale throughout the Medieval and early post – Medieval period. The town of Bexhill – on – Sea developed out of a collection of small hamlets, scattered farmsteads and the main village with extensive new construction during the late Victorian and Edwardian period. The site area remained as common land until the early 20th century, at which point housing and a church were constructed close to the Down Road site.
Given the distance of the site from the established settlement centre at Old Town Bexhill and the maintenance of the area as common land, the potential for significant archaeological remains being present on the study site is considered low.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 1. Introduction and Scope of Study
1.1.This archaeological desk based assessment has been researched and prepared by Lorna Richardson of L - P : Archaeology on behalf of WYGE.
1.2.The report considers land at Down Road, Bexhill. The local authority is the Rother District Council. The site is centred at National Grid Reference 573435,108386 (Figure 1) and is approximately .
1.3.The site is currently proposed for redevelopment although detailed proposals for the development were not available at the time of writing.
1.4.This assessment draws together the available archaeological, topographical and land use information in order to clarify the archaeological potential of the site.
1.5. The site at Down Road does not fall within the Bexhill Conservation Area and does not contain any Scheduled Monuments. There are a number of archaeological find spots in the study area and some archaeological works have been undertaken in the town during other construction work.
1.6.This assessment also comprises an examination of the East Sussex Sites and Monuments Record (SMR), local excavations and watching briefs, topographic information and a map regression exercise.
1.7.The information is also based on the results of documentary and cartographic research as well as published and unpublished literature. The study area for the site is within a 1km radius of the proposed development at Down Road.
1.8.The assessment seeks to address the following issues:
To assess the potential archaeology on this site
To assess the survival of potential archaeology
To assess the impact of the proposed development on this potential
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 2. Planning Background
2.1.In November 1990 the Department of the Environment issued PPG 16, “Archaeology and Planning”. This document provides guidance for planning authorities, property owners, developers and others on the preservation and investigation of archaeological remains.
2.2.In considering any planning application for development the local planning authority, the Rother District Council, is bound by the policy frameworks provided by Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG 16), and the Rother District Local Plan (adopted June 2006). The Rother District Local Plan does not detail specific policies pertaining to archaeology and makes reference to the specific contained with the East Sussex Structure Plan. The relevant policies contained within the Structure Plan are reproduced below for clarity:
EN22 Provision should be made for the identification, recording, safeguarding,investigation and preservation, preferably “in situ”, or, where not feasible, by record, of all archaeological sites (including those of maritime interest) and monuments and historic and listed buildings.
EN23 Sites and features of demonstrable historical or archaeological importance and their settings, including ancient monuments, listed buildings, conservation areas, historic parks and gardens, battlefields and other historic features will be protected from inappropriate changes and development.
EN24 Development proposals affecting known archaeological sites or areas of potential archaeological interest should be accompanied by an assessment, based on a field evaluation, of their archaeological implications before decisions on applications for planning permission can be made.
2.3.In accordance with best practice and government guidance, the client has requested this report at the earliest stage in order to be fully informed of any archaeological issues that may be encountered during any planning application process and subsequent development.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 3. Geology and Topography
3.1.GEOLOGY
3.1.1. The British Geological Survey GeoIndex (BGS 12/12/07) lists the geology of Bexhill as located on the Hastings Beds, which comprise interbedded sands, soft sandstones and clays, with superficial deposits of alluvium.
3.1.2. It should be emphasised that this data is at a relatively low resolution. Further geotechnical information should be consulted as it becomes available to further refine the picture of geological deposits on the site.
3.2.TOPOGRAPHY
3.2.1. Bexhill lies 45 metres above sea level on the edge of the High Weald. The High Weald is characterized by a complex of ridges and steep stream valleys. Patchworks of fields, hedges and dense woodland with the roads and main settlements run along the ridge ways and narrow winding lanes link small villages and hamlets.
3.2.2. Bexhill itself is a triangle shaped area of high ground with the Watermill Stream to the north, Combe Haven valley to the east and the Pevensey Levels to the west. It has steep slopes protecting three sides and a ridge running eastwards along Hastings Road. A low undulating ridge separates Bexhill Old Town from Bexhill Down and higher ground to the north.
3.2.3. The site is located to the north of the A259, and lies immediately south east of the junction of Newlands Avenue and Down Road in northern Bexhill. The site at Down Road is generally level at an estimated elevation of 20m above Ordnance Datum.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 4. Archaeological and Historical Background
4.1.TIMESCALES USED IN THIS REPORT:
PERIOD FROM TO
PREHISTORIC PALAEOLITHIC 450,000 12,000 BC
MESOLITHIC 12,000 4,000 BC
NEOLITHIC 4,000 1,800 BC
BRONZE AGE 1,800 600 BC
IRON AGE 600 43 AD
HISTORIC ROMAN 43 410 AD
EARLY MEDIEVAL 410 1066 AD
MEDIEVAL 1066 1485 AD
POST MEDIEVAL 1485 PRESENT
4.2.Examination of data from cartographic records, the East Sussex SMR and various published and unpublished sources suggest the site lies in an area that contains potential for archaeology from most periods.
4.3.It is not the aim of this assessment to present a complete history of Bexhill from earliest time, nor is it the intention of this report to examine every artefact found in the local area. Rather, the aim of this assessment is to review the data available and to use this to construct a model of the potential archaeology of the specific study site.
4.4.PREHISTORIC
4.4.1. The majority of evidence from Prehistoric periods within the SMR is found over 1km to the south of the site, where archaeological investigations have revealed settlement activity beginning in the Mesolithic.
4.4.2. The relative lack of Prehistoric evidence in the immediate area is likely representative of both a lack of archaeological investigation and the destruction of Prehistoric remains during Post Medieval development.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 PALAEOLITHIC
4.4.3. There are no recorded finds within the SMR dating from the Palaeolithic period, although some scattered finds of Palaeolithic material are known from the Rother River Valley (Woodcock 1978).
4.4.4. In light of this the potential for remains dating to the Palaeolithic period being present on the study site is considered to be low.Mesolithic
MESOLITHIC
4.4.5. Mesolithic worked flint was found during trial trenching near Bexhill West railway station in Terminus Road in 2005 (EES14302).
4.4.6. A Mesolithic tranchet axe was found in the area of the dismantled railway north east of the Down Lane although the date and exact location are not recorded (MES129).
4.4.7. The area was likely to have been heavily forested and used for hunting activities, during this period, with settlement on higher ground.
4.4.8. Due to the lack of substantial evidence dating to this period, the potential for Mesolithic activity at the site should be considered low. It is however worth mentioning that this lack of evidence may be due to a lack of fieldwork in the area rather than a dearth of activity within the area.
NEOLITHIC
4.4.9. The East Sussex SMR records some low- density evidence of activity around the study site during the Neolithic period.
4.4.10.Neolithic flint scrapers were recorded in the allotments in 1952 on Terminus Road, approximately 1 km south of Down Road and adjoining Bexhill West station (MES69).
4.4.11.Fire fractured flint and Neolithic pebble wasters were recovered from 49 Terminus Avenue, about 1200m south west of the study site during an archaeological evaluation in 2005 (EES14276).
4.4.12.A leaf-shaped arrowhead and a portion of a Neolithic unpolished flint
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 axehead was found in a garden in Cantelupe Road, 1.5 kilometres south east of the site in 1952 (MES76).
4.4.13.This evidence suggests the general region of the site was exploited during the Neolithic period. However, due to a general scarcity of information about this period in this particular area of Sussex, the archaeological potential for significant remains in the study area can be considered low, with a moderate potential for scattered remains.
BRONZE AGE
4.4.14.The East Sussex SMR records some low density evidence for activity in the study area during the Bronze Age period.
4.4.15.A small barbed and tanged Bronze Age arrow head was found in a mole-hill in what was then called Collington Wood in 1934 (MES64), south west of the study site.
4.4.16.A broken barbed and tanged flint arrowhead was found exposed on the surface of the ground after a gorse fire on Bexhill Down c. 1926 (MES65).
4.4.17.A Bronze Age triangular flint arrowhead was found in woodland north of Sidley by the Hastings Area Archaeology Research Group in 1986, approximately 2 km north east of Down Road (MES125).
4.4.18.Trial excavation at 49 Terminus Avenue in 2006 by Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group found a substantial quantity of fire fractured flint, Neolithic/Bronze Age pebble wasters and Late Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age pottery.
4.4.19.Given the above, it is evident that the area around Bexhill was likely part of a wider heavily wooded landscape exploited during the Bronze Age (PORTER J :2004) The probability of Bronze Age activity on the site should therefore be considered moderate with moderate potential for scattered remains.
IRON AGE
4.4.20.A search of the SMR did not reveal any remains that have been dated to the
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 Iron Age period, although it is considered possible that exploitation of the landscape continued from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age period.
4.4.21.An unstratified tetradrachm of Tyre (81BC) was found in digging the foundation of a house in Sutherland Avenue in 1931, although the exact provenance and further information regarding this find is unknown (MES70).
4.4.22.It is likely that the wider landscape was in use during the Iron Age, and close proximity of the study site to the iron smelting industry known to have started in the Iron Age in the High Weald. Based on the known evidence, the potential for archaeological evidence from this period at the Down Road site however should be considered low.
4.5.ROMAN
4.5.1. Roman Sussex was an extremely important source of iron, and the supplier of most of the Roman Empire at its peak. The number of known iron working sites is high across the county.
4.5.2. The closest major Roman site to Bexhill is located at Beauport Park, Battle about 8 km to the north east of the study site. A massive iron foundry and extensive bath house was excavated here in the 1970's (BRODRIBB:1972:4).
4.5.3. Within the vicinity of the study site there is some evidence of Roman activity. A bloomery, or iron smelting site was found at 36 Meadow Crescent, Sidley, approximately 1.2 kilometres north east of the Down Road site and dated loosely to the Roman and Medieval periods. This may be further evidence for Roman industrial activity in the Bexhill area, given the number of well - documented Roman foundry sites found all over the Weald.
4.5.4. The nearest Roman road is the north-south Rochester – Maidstone – Hastings road designed to cross through the heavily forested Wealdean iron producing district. The road forks from Watling Street and due to the nature of the Wealdean terrain, is forced to follow the ridges and steep sided valleys south above Hastings. It however passed some 15 km north
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 east of Bexhill (MARGARY 1967).
4.5.5. In accordance with the above the potential for Roman activity on the site should be considered low/moderate. The potential for settlement features in situ is considered low, with a moderate potential for the discovery of unstratified remains and industrial activity.
4.6.MEDIEVAL
4.6.1. The Hundred of Bexhill was 1 of 16 Hundreds in the Rape of Hastings, one of 6 Rapes, or traditional sub-divisions, of Sussex until the Conquest.
4.6.2. Documentary evidence suggests a settlement at Bexelei existed from Saxon times (VCH). The origins of the name are thought to derive from the Old English leah, a glade where box grows.
4.6.3. A Charter, the 'Catularum Saxonicum' records that King Offa of Mercia made a grant of 8 hides of land, equal to nearly 500 acres at Bexelei to Oswald, Bishop of Selsey on 15th August 772, with reversion to the See of Selsey on his death, in order to build and endow a church. (SALZMAN 1940).
4.6.4. In 1878, restoration of the Church of St. Peter revealed pre-Conquest coffin slab with carved herringbone stonework that dates to the 11th century but reflects the Hiberno – Saxon style of Northumbria that dates to the 8th century. A reliquary lid that dates stylistically to the 8th century hangs on the church wall, although there is no evidence for how or when it arrived in Bexhill (MES68).
4.6.5. The manor of Bexelei was held by the Bishop of Selsey within the Bexelei Hundred at the time of Domesday, valued at £20 and contained 20 hides. (SALZMAN 1940). Domesday mentions 2 churches at Bexhill. St Peter's, the endowment of Offa, and one at Northeye, which stood at the top of Hill Farm north of Barnhorn Road.
4.6.6. William the Conquerer gave Bexelei to Robert, Count of Eu, as part of the Lordship of the Rape of Hastings. During the Norman Conquest of 1066 it appears that the hamlet of Bexelei was largely destroyed. Domesday notes that Bexelei was 'waste' in 1066 and was worth £18 10s in 1086.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 4.6.7. In 1075, the seat of the Bishopric of Selsey was moved to Chichester by William the Conqueror. In 1148, the manor of Bexhill was returned to the Church and the first manor house was built. This was then rebuilt with a later manor house was built in 1250 (MES67).
4.6.8. In 1276, a large portion of Bexhill was made into a park for hunting and in 1447 Bishop Adam de Moleyns was given permission to fortify the Manor House. The main village settlement at Bexhill was south of the study site in the area now known as Bexhill Old Town.
4.6.9. An SMR search reveals two Medieval iron working sites from within the study area. Evidence for a bloomery was found at 36 Meadow Crescent, Sidley to the north east of the site at Down Road, that may date to the late Medieval period (MES114). Another site with evidence for cinders was found north east of Sidley Station north of the railway cutting, and known locally as 'Cinderbanks Field' (MES66).
4.6.10.A find of late Medieval light, smooth part-glazed pottery handles was found by Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group in Sidley Wood in 1986 (MES126).
4.6.11.The study site area does not fall within the area of the main village settlement at Bexhill, approximately 1.2 kilometres south east of the study site. It is likely that the Down Road site was used as common agricultural land throughout most of the Medieval period, although iron working and industrial use of land is known from this area.
4.6.12.The possibility for activity from the Saxon to Medieval periods on site should be considered low to moderate, with a moderate potential for evidence of agricultural exploitation of the land.
4.7.POST MEDIEVAL
4.7.1. The manor of Beckeshill was removed from the Church during the reign of Henry VIII. In 1603, under Queen Elizabeth I, the manor and lands belonging to it were granted to her mothers cousin Richard Sackville, Earl of Dorset. The manor remained in the possession of the Dukes of Dorset
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 until 1813, when the male line died out, and it passed into the hands of Elizabeth Sackville, who married the 5th Earl De La Warr, and the manor passed into the De La Warr family. The manor house was demolished in 1968 and the landscaped ruins are in Manor House Public Gardens, Bexhill (MES67).
4.7.2. During the Napoleonic Wars, Martello Towers 45–50 were erected at Bexhill. These were small defended forts built in Kent, Sussex, Essex and Suffolk to resist a potential invasion by Napoleon. The site of 46 has been built over and the rest have been destroyed by coastal erosion (MES83).
4.7.3. Various Georgian buildings can be found in Bexhill Old Town, with a listed lychgate (MES99), house (MES103)and cottage (MES102) at Church Street.
4.7.4. The 1840 Tithe Map shows the area of the settlement of Bexhill was still a mixture of rough and farmed pasture, arable land and a high concentration of farms dotted around the landscape. The site area at Down Lane is shown as common land.
4.7.5. Development of Bexhill began in the 1870's towards the south of the Old Town, and in 1882 the 7th Earl De La Warr commenced with the development of the small village, approximately half a mile away from the coast, into a resort, similar to settlements such as St. Leonard's and Hastings. He commissioned a sea wall to protect low lying marshes to the east of the village and laid out a promenade. Bexhill – on – Sea saw a period of rapid development over a forty year period.
4.7.6. St Stephen's Church, or the 'Church on the Down' was built on Bexhill Common in 1898, to accommodate the growing community. However, the site at Down Lane remained common land during this period of development.
4.7.7. At the time of the First Edition Ordnance Survey of 1873, the area around Down Lane was under fields associated with nearby farms. The field boundaries shown follow are similar to today's. The map shows farms to the north east and north west of the study site, labelled Woodsgate Farm and Wat Clark's Farm.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 4.7.8. A windmill stood to the side of Gunter's Lane, north of the study area in modern Old Mill Lane along with a bakery. This East Sussex type post-mill was first documented in 1784 although it is believed to have been constructed earlier than this (BRUNNARUS 1979:95 ). It stood until 1965 when it collapsed. The remains of the windmill are Grade 1 listed.
4.7.9. At the time of the 1899 Ordnance Survey the site remained undeveloped. Woodsgate Farm is now referred to as Woodsgate Park, and some extension of the farm buildings can be seen further to the north east of the site. 3 buildings have been constructed to the west of the site across Down Road.
4.7.10.The area around the site remained relatively unchanged in the 1909 Ordnance Survey, at which point earthworks were constructed around a building north of Woodsgate Park. The Down Road site remains as common land, and many trees planted as 'avenues' alongside footpaths, appear on the map that do not appear previously. In 1907 Downs School was built on the site of the old Bexhill Workhouse on Workhouse Fields south of the study site. The 1930 Ordnance Survey shows streets and housing constructed north of the study site. The 1939 Ordnance Survey shows the new construction of Newlands Avenue and further housing directly to the north east of the Down's Road site.
4.7.11.The study site at Down Road has remained as common land throughout the Post Medieval period. Archaeological potential from the Post Medieval period is considered to be low, with the main potential for remains related to the agricultural use of the land.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 5. Site Conditions and the Proposed Redevelopment
5.1.SITE CONDITIONS
5.1.1. The site is located at Down Road to the north of Bexhill.
5.1.2. At the time of this report the site was part of the town common, and remains undeveloped, apart from early 20th Century tree planting.
5.1.3. Archaeological deposits should be relatively well preserved due to the lack of previous development on the site.
5.2.PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT
5.2.1. At the time of writing no details of the development were available. However, it is assumed that any foundations for new build will negatively impact any surviving archaeological features.
5.2.2. New service trenches, parking facilities, and landscaping associated with the redevelopment are also likely to impact any surviving archaeology.
5.2.3. A more detailed impact assessment can be produced when detailed development proposals are available.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 6. Summary and Conclusions
6.1.A site at Down Road, Bexhill is proposed for redevelopment. Examination of the available data indicates that the site does not contain any known archaeological deposits of national importance or any Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
6.2.There is nothing to suggest there was any activity in the area of the study site from the Palaeolithic period. Some activity is noted in the study area from the Mesolithic and the wider landscape was likely exploited from this period forward. There is however no evidence to suggest the area of the study site was a focus of settlement during these periods.
6.3.Throughout the Medieval and early post Medieval period the settlement of Bexhill was a small village with scattered satellite farms and cottages in the vicinity to the south and north east of the Down Road site. The site area was likely held within the church lands of Bexhill Manor throughout this period for agricultural use.
6.4.During the late Victorian period Bexhill increases in importance. However, the site area remains undeveloped throughout the Post Medieval period until the early 20th century construction of housing north and west of the site.
6.5.Considering the potential for unexplored archaeology on site the Rother District Council may well require a programme of archaeological works at the site in order to better understand the potential survival of buried archaeology.
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2 FIGURES
DOC REF: LP0660L-DBA-v1.2