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Bromsgrove Town Centre, Worcestershire which forms the axis of the town's street activity is also likely to survive is likely layout. There is no evidence for Roman survive behind the street frontage of the settlement along this stretch of the road, main thoroughfare. but there is a low potential for the survival 5. The presence of buried post medieval of fragments of the road beneath the deposits has been demonstrated in current surface. several places in the historic core of the 3. There is a high potential for the evidence town and there is a High potential for the of early ecclesiastical activity in the survival of buried post-medieval deposits vicinity of the church. This may include elsewhere. This includes remains of buried remains related to a conjectured demolished houses, industrial buildings pre-conquest institution and earlier (mills and tanneries and a bell foundry) phases of the existing church and and buildings related to the market. graveyard. This may extend eastwards Backplot activity of a domestic and small from the current church yard into the industrial nature is likely to survive behind environs of the former National School street frontages where a complex of where 'made up' ground was recorded in outbuildings were largely replaced with the 19th century, the former vicarage and car parks and yards in the 20th century. Crown Close. The locations of two 18th century non- conformist burial grounds are uncertain 4. The presence of buried medieval deposits in the town centre has been demonstrated 6. There is a High Potential for the survival in Recreation Road and St John's Street of buried 19th century deposits in the and there is a Moderate to High potential historic core of the town this includes the for the survival of further medieval remains of Includes early industrial areas. deposits elsewhere in the historic core of Site of former mills at Blackmore Mill, the town. These may include remains of Town Mill, Roundabout Mill and Cotton demolished houses, mills, market Mill. buildings and the Tithe barn. Backplot 8.1.5 Historic buildings potential The historic buildings potential for the There is moderate potential for the survival Bromsgrove town centre may be summarised of industrial buildings along the boundaries as follows: of the Spadesbourne Brook. A number of buildings back onto the Spadesbourne There is moderate potential for the survival Brook, or are located on its banks. Close of timber-framed structures of 17th century proximity to the brook suggests that or earlier date on the High Street. A number surviving buildings may have involved of buildings with brick frontages that are industrial processes that needed to use hiding timber-frame have already been water, such as mills, breweries, and identified, some of which are listed, but tanneries. there is a likelihood that more buildings have survived. 9 Historic Urban Character Areas 9.1 Defining Historic Urban Character Areas This section assesses the potential of the town have been defined and are shown on Figures 5 centre by defining spatial units for the historic and 6. Each BHUCA is discussed below in environment and applying criteria to achieve a terms of character, archaeological potential value. Eight Bromsgrove Historic Urban and likelihood of change. Character Areas (referred to as BHUCA1-8) Page 46 Worcestershire Archaeology Worcestershire County Council 9.2 Bromsgrove's Historic Urban Character Areas BHUC 1. The Church and Environs Character and graveyard. The presence of 'made ground' This is likely to be the earliest part of the recorded during the construction of the National settlement of Bromsgrove situated on a School to the north of Crown Close implies that prominence overlooking the valley of the archaeological layers may exist here. Spadesbourne Brook and the Roman Road. It Furthermore there is a High Potential for the remains as a church and graveyard with open survival of features relating to earlier phases of space to the north east surviving as the the existing church and graveyard. grounds of St John's Nursing Home (the former A pool known as George Pool or Tin Pool vicarage) and Crown Close. This area is (WSM 49054) formerly existed in Crown Close conjectured to have been the site of a minster and there is a moderate potential for the before the Norman Conquest. survival of waterlogged remains here. Archaeological Potential Likelihood of change There is a Moderate Potential for the survival of There is little likelihood of major change in this the remains of a pre-conquest establishment area. This area lies within the St John's perhaps a minster in the environs of the church Conservation Area. BHUC 2. The Market Place Character Archaeological Potential The market was established in a charter of There is High Potential for remains of the 1199 but may have had earlier informal origins. various structures which stood in the market The main focus appears to have been the wider place to survive below the surface of the road section of St Johns Street as it meets and George House which was built in 1964. Worcester Road and the High Street and here There is High Potential for the survival of there was a crossing of the Spadesbourne waterlogged remains possibly including water Brook likely to have originated as a ford but management features and former channels of later replaced with a stone bridge. A number of the Spadesbourne Brook. structures are known to have stood in the market place including a medieval market Likelihood of change house, stocks, market cross, roundabout house There is a low potential for change within this which may originally have been a mill and a 19th area which lies largely within the highway. century market building. The market place continued to be used into the 20th century BHUC 3. Hanover Street/St Johns Street Significance Archaeological Potential Apart from the promontory of the church itself, The survival of medieval and post medieval this is likely to be the most historic part of the deposits in this area has been demonstrated in town, between the steep slope which rises to watching briefs related to the construction of the church and the Spadesbourne Brook. This the, now demolished, new market hall. area was a prominent feature of the streetscape Buildings which formerly stood in this area of the town probably from the Medieval period include tenement blocks and a Brewery. Post- and was until the early 19th century the only medieval deposits at least 0.5m to 0.75m significant built up area which did not have a deep, and substantial stone foundations are frontage onto the Roman road. Page 47 Bromsgrove Town Centre, Worcestershire known to survive to beneath the car park. park all of which is within Development Deposits associated with the Spadesbourne Opportunity TC8. It is certain that groundworks Brook are also likely to survive and these may in this area would disturb archaeological include water management features associated deposits and an appropriate archaeological with a mill building which still stands in this mitigation strategy would have to be applied. area. This BHUCA lies between the Bromsgrove Town and St Johns conservation areas. Likelihood of change The likelihood for change in this area is very high. Currently much of this area is an open car BHUC 4. Perry Hall and Watt Close Character works which later stood on the site but there is Perry Hall a house with 17th century origins but potential for the survival of the remains of the partly rebuilt in the early 19th century and its Hanover Street buildings which included grounds occupy the northern part of this area. weavers shops and nogshops. A Quaker Some of the earlier building survives. Other 19th meeting house with burial ground is recorded Century buildings in this area are houses and as having been on Hanover Street but its offices. BHUC 4 also includes a section of Watt location is unknown. There is a High Potential Close which was the site of Bromsgrove's for the survival of below ground remains of the Annual Fairs until 1853 and remains open former Perry Hall. ground adjacent to the brook. To the west there Likelihood of change is a small area of light industry and retail on the There is little likelihood of change in the area of site of the 19th Century town gas works. Housman House and other nineteenth century Archaeological Potential buildings to the west of the Kidderminster Road. The large cotton mill known at times as Buck The section of Watt Close within this BHUC House stood to the west of this area in what is serves as an entrance to Sanders Park from the now Sanders Park and there is a Low Potential town and is similarly unlikely to undergo major for the survival of water management features alteration. A Development opportunity, TC17 related to this large complex within BHUC 4. On has been identified at the western end of the tithe map, the majority of this area is shown BHUC4, the Worcester Road employment area, as open ground apart from a small row of currently a scattered unit of light industry and cottages on Hanover Street which were commercial buildings. There is potential here demolished in the 1960s and to the west an for the survival of structures related to the 19th area of small plots or paddocks with buildings Century gasworks although this complex which may have been nailers cottages. Traces probably eradicated all traces of earlier activity. of the latter were probably eradicated by a gas BHUC 5. Worcester Road Character not clear how far the medieval town extended in Worcester Road is the part of the main this direction (an evaluation at Bromsgrove thoroughfare through the town which lies to the school to the south west of the area showed no south of the market place.

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