Bathampton Weir Bath and North East Somerset
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BATHAMPTON WEIR BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET BUILDING RECORDING AND WATCHING BRIEF For JPS PARTNERSHIP LLP On behalf of MITCHELLS AND BUTLERS RETAIL LIMITED CA PROJECT: 2753 CA REPORT: 09101 JUNE 2009 BATHAMPTON WEIR BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET BUILDING RECORDING AND WATCHING BRIEF CA PROJECT: 2753 CA REPORT: 09101 prepared by Peter Davenport, Senior Project Officer date 28 May 2009 checked by Simon Cox, Project Manger date 29 May 2009 approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts signed date 09 June 2009 issue 01 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. © Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected] Bathampton Weir, Bath and North East Somerset; Building Recording and Watching Brief © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................5 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 6 The site ................................................................................................................ 6 Background.......................................................................................................... 7 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 7 2. DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................... 8 The Mill ................................................................................................................ 8 The Dam .............................................................................................................. 10 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 12 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 12 APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................... 13 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 14 3 Bathampton Weir, Bath and North East Somerset; Building Recording and Watching Brief © Cotswold Archaeology LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Figure 2 The site (1:500) Figure 3 Plan of the weir and mill remains (1:100) Figure 4 Elevation 1 (W arch) (1:40) Figure 5 Elevation 2 (N arch) (1:40) Figure 6 Elevations 3-5 and detail plan 2 (blocked sluice) (1:40) Figure 7 Elevations 6-8 and detail plan 1 (central sluice) (1:40) Figure 8 Elevations 9 and 10 Sluice E side and Weir N end (1:40) Figure 9 Photographic elevations 11 and 12 (wheel pit interior) Figure 10 Photographic elevations 13 and 14 (wheel pit interior) Figure 11 Photographic elevation 15, N external side of mill Figure 12 View into the head race arch looking south into the wheelpit, showing the pronounced narrowing (far arch approximately one metre across). Figure 13 The blocked tunnel that led to the tail race Figure 14 East side of blocked sluice Figure 15 The northern spillway just before repair. Fragments of stone facing to the mortared rubble core are visible just above water level along with the steps on the north side. Collapsed walling from south side wall visible in foreground; looking north-east, scales 1m. Figure 16 The northern flanking wall of the northern spillway, after pointing and infill of void behind. The figure is standing on the spillway ramp which is under repair. Figure 17 The slightly displaced sluice gate guides on the north end of the blocked sluice, and the vertical marks of the rising stem guides on the left. Figure 18 The central sluice looking north. The sluice gate guides and the bolts which formerly held the raising gear are visible Figure 19 Detail of the pinion and bolted timber on the north end of the blocked sluice Figure 20 The timber baulk and stone-paved surface in the base of the vaulted mill tunnel. Figure 21 The south side of the spillway next to the central sluice, looking south after removal of the concrete surfacing Figure 22 The sluice raising-gear frame still in situ on the sluice on the northern side of the river 4 Bathampton Weir, Bath and North East Somerset; Building Recording and Watching Brief © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Bathampton Weir, Bathampton Mill Location: Bathampton, Bath and North East Somerset NGR: ST 77426695 Type: Building Recording Date: 24 March-21 April 2009 Planning Reference: 08/03432/FUL Listed Building Consent: 08/03444/LBA Location of Archive: To be deposited with Bath Record Office Accession Number: 0793 A programme of building recording was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) at Bathampton Weir prior to and during works to repair the dam and head race of the weir, which had been badly damaged by winter floods over several seasons. This work was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to Listed Building Consent for repair work to the building. A desk-based assessment (DBA) by CA established that the weir in its present form was an integral part of the mill as rebuilt in 1818, but it could not be ascertained whether any of the basic weir structure further to midstream was older. The work was intended to provide an archaeological record in advance of the necessary repair work. In addition, a watching brief was kept to observe and archaeologically significant features that might be revealed during the repairs. The DBA had indicated that there had probably been some changes to the dam in the 19th century. Evidence of structural alterations was seen in the recognition of a blocked sluice at the south end of the dam, but actual physical evidence of changes outside of this were not recognized. Evidence of the later 19th-century rebuilding of the mill was seen in the riverside arch at the south end of the dam. A detailed plan of the dam was made at 1:50 and 1:20 scale plans were made of the sluice structures. All accessible elevations were drawn at 1:20 (in one case 1:50). Elevations not affected by the current works, essentially those of the surviving wheel pit/mill structure were recorded by means of photographic elevations. Other more general record photographs were also taken. 5 Bathampton Weir, Bath and North East Somerset; Building Recording and Watching Brief © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In May 2008 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out a drawn and photographic record and building analysis within Level 3 of the English Heritage specification for building recording (English Heritage 2006) for JPS Partnership LLP, on behalf of Mitchells and Butlers Retail Limited, at Bathampton Weir, an early 19th-century weir, dam and headrace for the former Bathampton Mill, now a public house (centred on NGR: ST 7742 6695; Fig. 1). A watching brief followed the site recording work during the repair programme, and the results of that watching brief are included herein. 1.2 Listed building consent (08/03444/LBA) and planning consent (08/03432/FUL) has been granted for the repair works on the Weir by Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES). This work was undertaken to fulfil condition 2 attached to the planning consent for the works, which required a programme of archaeological work to record those parts of the historic buildings or structures which were to be demolished, disturbed or concealed by the development. 1.3 The archaeological fieldwork was carried out and the report produced after discussion with Richard Sermon, Archaeological Officer, Bath and North East Somerset Council and in accordance with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2008b), and approved by Mr Sermon. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for the archaeological investigation and recording of standing buildings or structures (Institute for Archaeologists (IfA) 2008) and Understanding Historic Buildings: a guide to good recording practice (English Heritage 2006). The watching brief followed the Standard and Guidance for an archaeological watching brief (IfA 2008). The site 1.4 The site lies on the valley floor of the Bristol Avon, where it flows through the gap in the southern Cotswolds, 2.5miles east of the City of Bath. The river forms the boundary between the parishes of Bathampton and Batheaston. The area is hilly with the oolite-capped hills rising to 180m north and south of the river. The landscape is pastoral in the immediate vicinity, and the soils here are alluvial over 6 Bathampton Weir, Bath and North East Somerset; Building Recording and Watching Brief © Cotswold Archaeology lias clay bedrock (BGS 1965 and a detailed study in an adjacent field in Wessex Archaeology 2003). Background 1.5 The weir is almost certainly of medieval origin, two mills being noted in Domesday in Batheaston, on the parish boundary of which with Bathampton the weir lies. The mill is close to the manor house of Bathampton and was formerly in the ownership of the lord of the manor. It was rebuilt in its present form in 1818 as part of the rebuilding of the mill in that year. The mill was rebuilt again in