Brief for the Drafting of an Archaeological Watching Brief Specification: Derby City General

BRIEF FOR PRE-APPLICATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

SITE NAME: Land at Middle Street, Bolsover NGR: SK 4732 7043 (centre) ISSUED BY: Steve Baker (Development Control Archaeologist for Bolsover District Council) DATE: 28th May 2012

1 Introduction 1.1 A planning application is to be submitted for the redevelopment of the Middle Street car park, Bolsover, to provide a new office building.

1.2 The local planning authority’s development control archaeologist has recommend that a programme of archaeological field evaluation be carried out to address the heritage information requirements of NPPF para 128 and Bolsover Local Plan Policy Con 14.

1.3 This document is a brief specification for the archaeological work defined in 1.2. This will allow the archaeological contractor to prepare a written scheme of investigation (WSI) for approval by the development control archaeologist before the commencement of archaeological work on site.

2 Background 2.1 The proposal site is an area of approx 0.165ha (1650 sq m) comprising an open area to the south of Middle Street, Bolsover, currently used for car parking.

2.2 The proposal area lies within the Bolsover Area of Archaeological Interest, as defined in the Local Plan, with attendant Local Plan Policies. This area represents the likely extent of medieval occupation in the town.

2.3 Map evidence suggests that the proposal area was within the planned medieval town, with continuous occupation on the site from the medieval period (as shown on the earliest available map of Bolsover - Senior’s map of 1630) until the 20th century. The area is identified as having archaeological potential within A review of the Archaeological Area of Interest at Old Bolsover, a study carried out for Bolsover District Council by ARCUS (University of Sheffield) in 1995.

2.4 The character, date and levels of preservation of archaeological deposits below ground on the site are however currently unknown, as is the impact of development and clearance of the site during the 20th century.

2.5 There is consequently a requirement (NPPF para 128 and Bolsover Local Plan Con14) for a programme of archaeological evaluation to be carried out to inform the proposed planning application, and to allow archaeological impacts and the potential associated costs to be understood at the earliest opportunity.

3 Objectives 3.1 The pre-application evaluation trenching aims to provide sufficient information for informed decisions to be made regarding i) the presence or absence of archaeological features, ii) their significance and importance (sensu NPPF), iii) the likely impact of the development upon any such features and iv) the appropriate mitigation of the development’s impacts upon those remains.

4 Methodology Evaluation trial trenching 4.1 The evaluation trenching should aim to provide a 5% sample of the proposed development footprint (including the proposed building and the extent of any associated hard landscaping work and services).

1 4.2 A detailed trenching plan should be formulated by the archaeological contractor and submitted to the development control archaeologist as part of the WSI. The plan should be informed by historic mapping for the site, and provide coverage of street front and backplot areas. Service plans of the site should also be checked at this stage. The trenching plan should also include a contingency for extension of trenches in the event of archaeological features being part-exposed. This contingency should be set at around 5% of the total proposed trenching area.

4.3 Bolsover District Council is likely to require reinstatement of the car park following the evaluation trenching. Although this does not form part of the archaeological planning requirement, the archaeological contractor should confirm the extent of this requirement direct with the Council and should ensure that appropriate provision is made.

4.4 The proposed sample area must be achieved at the level of archaeological/natural deposits and provision must be made for shoring/stepping of trenches if necessary.

4.5 Trial trenches will be excavated under the supervision of a professional archaeologist, using a mechanical excavator of appropriate size and tonnage fitted with a toothless bucket, to the level at which archaeological features/structures are present, or to the upper surface of natural deposits, whichever level is reached first. A concrete breaker or toothless bucket may be used at the discretion of the supervising archaeologist to remove hard surface and/or obstructions only. Scanning for buried services should take place before and during the excavation process.

4.6 Given the long history of occupation on the site it is possible that deeply stratified or multi- layered occupation deposits may be present. The archaeological contractor must make explicit provision for this eventuality in the WSI.

4.7 Following machine excavation and cleaning, sample excavation and recording of features will take place according to the general guidelines set out below.

4.8 Recording of blank trenches (where no archaeological features are identified), should be as follows:  Completion of trench record sheet, giving dimensions, stratigraphy and interpretation;  At least one photograph of trench base and another of a typical trench section;  Drawn 2m sample section of stratigraphy;  EDM/Total Station survey of trench location, including AOD levels of top and bottom of trench section.

4.9 Recording of trenches where archaeological features are present should be as follows:  Plan of trench base at 1:20, with AOD levels (pre-excavation and post-excavation planning should be carried out as appropriate);  At least one long trench section should be drawn at 1:20.  Further detailed plans/sections of features and groups of features should be drawn at 1:10/1:20 as appropriate, with AOD levels;  Standard stratigraphic recording using pro-forma sheets;  General photographic shots of trench base and section(s), and detailed shots of archaeological features as appropriate;  EDM/Total Station survey of trench location, including AOD levels of top and bottom of trench section.

4.10 No backfilling should take place until the development control archaeologist has inspected trenches and records and is satisfied that the work has been carried out to an appropriate standard.

4.11 Following completion of the evaluation trenching, and before backfilling, a site meeting should be held with the development control archaeologist to carry out a preliminary review of the results and agree the scope of post-excavation work.

General guidelines for excavation and recording

2 4.12 All archaeological fieldwork, recording of archaeological features and deposits and post- excavation analysis should be carried out to acceptable archaeological standards. The contractor will be expected to abide by the Code of Practice of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, and to follow the guidance provided in Archaeological Science at PPG16 Interventions (English Heritage 2003).

4.13 Decisions made on the methods and strategies for sampling features should be based upon the nature and extent of any deposits which are revealed. These decisions should be made in consultation with the development control archaeologist. However, all features potentially archaeological in origin should be investigated, and time must be allowed for full excavation of all features if this is necessary to achieve the aims of evaluation. In general, discrete features should be half-sectioned in the first instance; linear features should be sampled a minimum of 20% along their length (each sample section not less than 1m), or a minimum of a 1m sample section if the feature is less than 10m long. In addition, the deposits at junctions or interruptions in linear features should be sufficiently excavated for the relationship between components to be established.

4.14 Features are to be excavated and recorded according to the normal principles of stratigraphic excavation, and should be accurately located on a site plan and recorded by photographs, summary scale drawings and written pro forma sheets. Sufficient EDM/Total Station survey should take place to allow all features to be located accurately with relation to the National Grid and Ordnance Datum. Individual features will be planned at 1:20 where additional detail is required. Sections and profiles of each feature sampled will be drawn at 1:10 or 1:20, depending on the size of the feature. All plans, sections and profiles will be related to Ordnance Datum, in metres. Drawing conventions should follow the MoLAS Archaeological site manual (2004).

4.15 For brick/stone structures, the record should include details of brick dimensions and type (handmade/machine-made, plain/frogged), mortar (colour, composition, hardness) and the extent of structures (number of courses, thickness in skins).

4.16 Site photography should be in 35mm b/w print film and either 35mm colour slides or high resolution (7 megapixel or greater) DSLR photography. Photography should include general site shots, shots of each trench, and shots of individual features and groups of features. All photographs should include a suitable photographic scale and will be recorded on a photographic register with the subject and direction of each shot.

4.17 Artefact collection policy should be concerned with the provision of adequate samples for meeting the objectives of the work. Discarded artefactual materials should be described and quantified through assignment to broad categories in the field. All retained finds and palaeo- environmental samples should be treated in accordance with the EH guidance document A strategy for the care and investigation of finds (1995) and the UKIC’s document Guidelines for the preparation of excavation archives for long term storage. Assessment and analysis of finds and palaeo-environmental samples will be undertaken, as necessary, by suitably qualified specialists.

4.18 A provisional palaeo-environmental sampling strategy should be developed in the WSI, with the input and identification of appropriate specialists, and provision for assessment/analysis of all samples, with no sub-sampling. Should deposits of palaeo- environmental importance be identified then the appropriate recognized environmental specialist(s) will visit the site to advise on a site-specific sampling strategy and the suggested strategy will then be implemented.

4.19 Provision must be made for X-radiography of metal finds as appropriate, in line with the EH guidance document Guidelines on the X-radiography of archaeological metalwork (2006). X-radiography should be carried out before the relevant material is assessed.

4.20 Provision must be made for conservation of finds as appropriate, in line with the EH guidance document Investigative Conservation (2008). A named conservator should be

3 identified in the WSI, and conservation proposals should be included within the assessment report.

4.21 Where there is evidence for industrial activity, samples will be taken to identify macroscopic technological residues in accordance with Archaeometallurgy (English Heritage 2001) and Science for Historic Industries (English Heritage 2006).

4.22 Any human remains encountered must initially be left in situ. If removal is necessary, this must comply with the relevant Ministry of Justice, Diocesan and other regulations, as appropriate. A strategy for the excavation, analysis, retention and/or reburial of a) disarticulated and b) articulated human remains will need to be developed and specified in the WSI. The cataloguing and analysis of all human remains will be undertaken, as necessary, by a suitably qualified osteoarchaeologist.

4.23 Provision should be made for the recovery and processing of samples for scientific dating, where this may contribute to the archaeological objectives of the project.

5 WSI and monitoring 5.1 A written scheme of investigation (WSI) should be formulated by potential contractors and submitted to the Development Control Archaeologist for approval.

The proposal should include:  A description of the proposed fieldwork methods to be used.  An explanation of the sampling strategies to be used  A projected timetable for work on site  Details of the arrangements made for deposition of the finds and site archive  A list of specialists available for undertaking finds, industrial and palaeo-environmental analyses

5.2 The work will be carried out by appropriately qualified and experienced staff. CVs should be submitted to the Development Control Archaeologist for approval. Details of staff numbers and their relevant experience should be included, plus their responsibilities in carrying out the work.

5.3 Any changes to the agreed WSI must be discussed with, and agreed with, the Development Control Archaeologist before implementation

5.4 During the course of the fieldwork the Development Control Archaeologist may undertake monitoring visits. One week’s prior notice of the commencement of fieldwork should therefore be given, including the name and contact number of the archaeologist on site.

5.5 Should significant archaeological deposits be encountered the archaeological contractor should contact the Development Control Archaeologist immediately and arrange a convenient date and time for a site visit (Steve Baker 01629 539773 [email protected])

6 Report 6.1 The preparation of reports should follow the guidelines published by the Institute of Field Archaeology and English Heritage (MAP2). Provision should be made for assessment reporting (sensu MAP2) and interim reporting to be undertaken where appropriate.

6.2 An evaluation report should be submitted within eight weeks of completion of fieldwork. A draft pdf should be submitted to the development control archaeologist for comments in the first instance. Bound copies of the finalised report should be provided for the interested parties, including a single bound copy to the development control archaeologist for accession to the Derbyshire HER. A pdf copy of the report and indexed copies of all digital record photographs should also be submitted on CD to the development control archaeologist.

6.3 The evaluation report should include as a minimum:  Non-technical summary

4  Introductory statement  Aims and purpose of the archaeological work  Method  An objective summary statement of results  Full phased stratigraphic discussion of the archaeological features  A statement of archaeological significance, placing the results in their local, regional and national context  The results of assessments and/or analyses of artefacts and ecofacts carried out by suitable specialists, including proposals for retention/discard and conservation.  Archaeological site photographs including key features, an example shot of each trench, and working shots  Supporting illustrations and plans, suitably captioned, at appropriate scales. To include as a minimum: a location map at not less than 1:25000 and a site plan at not less than 1:500 showing all trench locations in relation to OS Mastermap background mapping; copies of historic map extracts and historic photographs where relevant; a plan and section of each trench (sample section if blank); detail plans/sections of archaeological features and structures as appropriate. Trench and detail plans/sections should include AOD levels.  A detailed context index  Supporting data – tabulated or in appendices  Index to archive, details of archive location and accession number, and a proposed date for final deposition.  Publication statement – proposed timetable, location and scale of publication  References  A copy of the OASIS form  A copy of this brief

6.4 Should two-stage reporting (assessment and final) be justified in relation to MAP2, then a proposal for further work – leading to the production of a final synthetic report – should be contained within the evaluation report. It may be appropriate to incorporate this work with a post-determination stage of fieldwork, should timescales be acceptable.

7 Archive deposition 7.1 From the outset of the project arrangements should be made for the archive, consisting of record sheets, original drawings, drawn plans, photographs, notes, copies of all reports along with an index to the archive to be prepared in an ordered manner in accordance with the procedures set out in Procedures for the Transfer of Archaeological Archives (Museums in Derbyshire 2003).

7.2 There is currently no accessioning museum of record serving Bolsover District. Paper/photographic/digital archives with no retained finds or samples may be deposited at Derbyshire Record Office (DRO) in Matlock. If this is the case then DRO should be contacted once the archive is prepared. The development control archaeologist should be notified in writing of the DRO accession number once deposition has taken place.

7.3 Should the archive include retained finds/samples then provision should be made for the entire archive to be retained by the archaeological contractor or consultant in a suitable store, ideally within Derbyshire or at any rate within the East Midlands region, pending future deposition with a museum of record (for which adequate funds must be retained). The temporary location of the archive and arrangements for its consultation should be included in the archive statement within the evaluation report. The development control archaeologist should be informed in writing on any future transfer of the archive material.

7.5 At the start of work (immediately before fieldwork commences) an OASIS online record http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/oasis/ must be initiated and key fields completed on Details, Location and Creators forms. All parts of the OASIS online form must be completed for submission to the HER. This should include an uploaded pdf version of the entire report.

8 Publication

5 8.1 Publication costs must be built into agreed project budgets from the outset. Where no further publication is envisaged then a summary of the project, with selected drawings, illustrations and photographs, should be submitted within 2 years of the completion of the project to Derbyshire Archaeological Journal for publication.