7 Archaeological Potential and Significance
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Joseph Lancaster Nursery Site, London Borough of Southwark, SE1 4EX: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment ©Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd, June 2017 7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND SIGNIFICANCE 7.1 General 7.2 The site is located on the southern edge of the Thames Valley Floodplain of the River Thames Basin. The settlement of Southwark grew up around two gravel eyots – often referred to as the north and south islands – that were separated from the ‘mainland’ to the south by the Borough Channel. It was this series of gravel eyots upon which the bridge crossing to Londinium was constructed and connected to the south by Road 1. South of the Borough Channel and on higher ground the road splintered into Stane Street (running to Chichester) and Watling Street (running to Canterbury and Dover). The study area is located south of this road junction in an area that has become identified as the ‘Southern Cemeteries’ to denote it as separate to those cemeteries around Londinium on the north bank of the Thames. 7.3 Prehistoric 7.3.1 Pottery and worked flints found in north Southwark indicate that the area was frequented in the Mesolithic and later settled from the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age period onwards. What had been an intertidal zone would have varied in character depending on the periodic rising and falling of sea level due to climatic fluctuations (Killock 2010:12). However, the nature of that settlement is still poorly understood and most of the finds recorded on the HER from these periods are residual - suggesting a background presence of dispersed activity across north Southwark with the Mesolithic activity focussed closer to the Thames and the gravel eyots. The two main periods of prehistoric activity appears to come from the late Mesolithic period and the Late Neolithic to early Bronze Age periods. 7.3.2 It is possible that the study site was located on higher ground just south of the Borough/Guy’s Channel confluence and therefore on drier ground suitable for settlement which may have occurred in the Bronze Age. There is significant evidence to suggest that the margins of north Southwark’s sand islands were dry enough to allow cultivation during at least part of the 2nd millennium BC (Taylor-Wilson 2001:7). 7.3.3 The Iron Age is very poorly represented in the inner London region, including Southwark. A few Iron Age burials are known from the area but no settlement sites. This may reflect the marginal nature of the area as sea levels rose throughout the later Iron Age then peaked in the early Roman period (Killock 2010:12). 7.3.4 The archaeological potential for prehistoric remains is therefore considered to be low–medium. However, given the understanding of the local environment, it should be considered that the potential for palaeoenvironmental deposits or horizons is moderate- high. 7.3.5 If archaeological or geoarchaeological remains are present, they are likely to be of local significance. PCA Report Number: R12922 Page 39 of 108 Joseph Lancaster Nursery Site, London Borough of Southwark, SE1 4EX: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment ©Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd, June 2017 7.4 Roman 7.4.1 The early settlement of Roman Southwark is likely to have been primarily focused around the bridgehead area by London Bridge, and/or as ribbon development along the arterial roads leading into and out of the city. Beyond these areas, Southwark is likely to have remained sparsely populated due to the braided river channels which required continual maintenance and management to prevent flooding. Such channels were however responsible for prompting trade and communication routes, and so these areas were not completely uninhabited. The results further suggest an intense usage of Guy’s Channel as a main artery during the period, meaning that this area of confluence was likely heavily trafficked; the southern bank potentially providing a particularly secure highpoint for river access (Reade 2006: 45). 7.4.2 The general impression from work carried out in the vicinity of the study site is that it was given over initially to agriculture and scattered settlement, thereafter to burial and religious activity before finally reverting to agriculture and burial in the later Roman period (Cotton 2008: 160). 7.4.3 The significant number of GLHER entries for the Roman period within 500m of the study site suggests that a focal point of Roman funerary sites was likely to be concentrated to the southern end of Road 1 with a concentration around the junction of Stane and Watling Street (Bird 1996: 74). Inhumations, cremations and ‘mixed’ burial grounds of different periods spread at least as far south as Harper Street (Bird 1996: 75). However, the cemetery area in Southwark is still considered to be difficult to define closely due to the changing boundaries of the Roman settlement (Bird 1996:74). 7.4.4 A number of burials are known from the vicinity of Harper Road, Dickins Square and Trinity Street. 7.4.5 The principal roads in north Southwark consisted of Stane Street (towards Chichester) and Watling Street (towards Canterbury and Kent) the latter of which lies east of the study area. Masonry structures consisting of a temple mausoleum and two walled cemeteries were found at 165 Great Dover Street just 150m north-east of the study site and adjacent to Watling Street. It is probable that the road was lined with small enclosed cemeteries and funerary monuments (Killock 2017). 7.4.6 Taking into consideration the number of known cemeteries in the immediate area and the site’s location south of the crux of the two principal Roman roads south of London it is therefore considered that the archaeological potential for the Roman period is high. 7.4.7 The potential for archaeological remains of this period can range from local to regional significance. 7.5 Early Medieval / Saxon 7.5.1 During a number of archaeological investigations in Southwark, including those in the vicinity of the study site, a dark deposit has been recorded sealing Roman features and deposits. Generally PCA Report Number: R12922 Page 40 of 108 Joseph Lancaster Nursery Site, London Borough of Southwark, SE1 4EX: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment ©Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd, June 2017 referred to as dark earth, this deposit formed as the area was exploited for agricultural purposes in the late and post-Roman periods. This dark earth layer was also attributed to the early medieval period when found during an excavation at Dickens Square. Although sometimes described as “Saxon” there is little evidence for such a date of the deposit in the vicinity of the site (Boyer 2015). Find spots across the area are sparse and few logged on the GLHER. Of particular note is the absence of Saxon activity in the 5th – 6th centuries as there is virtually no evidence of a sustained Saxon presence in Southwark in the early centuries after Roman rule ended (Killock 2017). 7.5.2 To date, finds from the early medieval period have been piecemeal, fragmentary and often found residually in later contexts. Although it suggests that there is some ‘back ground’ of early medieval activity its nature has yet to be proven through excavation. It would seem that the pattern and density may echo that of the Iron Age detailed above – dispersed farming settlements exploiting local resources. 7.5.3 Taking the above into account, the wider lack of evidence for early medieval occupation would suggest the potential for features or horizons of this date to be low. If found, archaeological remains of this period are likely to be of local significance. 7.6 Medieval 7.6.1 A relatively high number of entries on the GLHER within a 500m radius of the study site, combined with known presence of institutions such as St Thomas’ Hospital and the Marshalsea and King’s Bench Prisons suggest that Southwark was occupied by a not insignificant population during the medieval period. The proximal finds to the site are those related to industry and agriculture, which implies that the character of the area was semi-rural and of a more impoverished nature. Later cartographic data suggests the study site was of agricultural usage and this is likely to have been the case for the earlier period also. The archaeological potential for the medieval period is considered to be low. 7.6.2 If found, archaeological remains of this period are likely to be of local significance. 7.7 Post-Medieval 7.7.1 The cartographic sources show that in the early post-medieval period the study site was located in an agricultural landscape. From the second half of the 19th century in particular, there was increasing urbanisation, represented by industry and dwellings. 7.7.2 The site itself was located within an open, agricultural setting of fields and orchards which was later developed. It was later developed with terraced housing, a road and a concrete works/tram depot was located partially within the site. 7.7.3 The introduction of light industry to the area in general and the proximity of the Concrete Works (later a tram depot) in particular at the end of the 19th century suggests that contamination on site is therefore considered to be moderate to high. PCA Report Number: R12922 Page 41 of 108 Joseph Lancaster Nursery Site, London Borough of Southwark, SE1 4EX: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment ©Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd, June 2017 7.7.4 It is unlikely that modern development has impacted upon all of the areas of the study site, and the potential for archaeological remains for the post-medieval period is therefore considered to be high.