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Wilbees Solar Farm Arlington East Sussex Archaeological Evaluation

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Wilbees Solar Farm Arlington East Sussex Archaeological Evaluation Wilbees Solar Farm Arlington East Sussex Archaeological Evaluation for Hive Energy Ltd. CA Project: 770170 CA Report: 15053 January 2015 Wilbees Solar Farm Arlington East Sussex Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 770170 CA Report: 15053 prepared by Sam Wilson (Archaeologist) date 18 December 2014 (Text only) checked by Matt Nichol date 28.01.15 approved by Richard Greatorex (Principal Fieldwork Manager) signed date 30.01.15 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 Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Building 11 41 Burners Lane South Stanley House Kemble Enterprise Park Kiln Farm Walworth Road Kemble, Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover, Hampshire Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ MK11 3HA SP10 5LH t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 564660 t. 01264 347630 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 4 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 5 The site .............................................................................................................. 6 Archaeological background ................................................................................ 8 Archaeological objectives ................................................................................... 11 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 11 2. RESULTS (FIGURE 2) ....................................................................................... 12 3. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 14 4. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 14 5. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 15 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................... 16 APPENDIX B. FINDS ..................................................................................................... 17 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 18 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Figure 2 Trench location plan showing geophysical survey results Figure 3 Detail of trench location plan showing geophysical survey results Figure 4 West facing view of Trench 6 Figure 5 South east facing view of Trench 5/General south facing view of site and Trench 3 Figure 6 General site view facing east 3 SUMMARY Project Name: Wilbees Solar Farm Location: Arlington, East Sussex NGR: 554441 106648 Type: Trial Trench Evaluation Date: 16-17 December 2014 Planning Reference: WD/2014/1838/MEA/FULL Location of Archive: Cotswold Archaeology Andover Offices Site Code: WILB14 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) in December 2014 on the site of a proposed solar farm by Hive Energy Ltd on land at Wilbees Farm, Arlington, East Sussex. Six trenches were excavated. The trenches targeted a series of geophysical anomalies and the projected line of a known Roman road; however no archaeological features were identified. Finds recovered from the evaluation include ceramic building material, worked flint and an iron object. All were recovered from topsoil and will be discarded. The ceramic building material recovered dated to the medieval and post-medieval periods. Two fragments of burnt flint were recovered and one small, Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic blade, the tip of which was broken. 4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In December 2014 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Hive Energy Limited at Wilbees Farm, Arlington, East Sussex (centred on National Grid Reference (NGR): 554441 106648; Figure 1). 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with the methodology contained within a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA for the evaluation of the proposed development area (CA 2014). The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for archaeological field evaluation (IfA 2009), the Management of Archaeological Projects 2 (English Heritage 1991), the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (EH 2006) and Standards for archaeological fieldwork, recording, and post-excavation work in East Sussex (Johnson 2008, ESCC). 1.3 The Site has been granted planning permission (WD/2014/1838/MEA/FULL) as a location for a solar farm, subject to fulfilling the archaeological condition as set out below: a) No development shall commence until the developer has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work (including archaeological evaluation), in accordance with a Written Scheme of Archaeological Investigation which has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. b) The development hereby permitted shall not be brought into use until the archaeological site investigation and post investigation assessment (including provision for analysis, publication and dissemination of results and archive deposition) has been completed in accordance with the programme set out in the Written Scheme of Investigation approved under Part a) of this condition, and confirmed in writing by the Local Planning Authority in consultation with the County Planning Authority. REASON: To ensure that the archaeological and historical interest of the site is safeguarded and recorded, having regard to Spatial Objective SPO2 and Policy WCS14 of the adopted Wealden Core Strategy Local Plan (2013), and paragraphs 129, 131 and 132 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012. 5 1.4 In October 2013 Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned by the Pegasus Group, acting on behalf of their client, to carry out a Heritage Desk-Based Assessment at the Site. The objective of the assessment was to identify the nature and extent of the heritage resource both within the Site and its immediate environs. The Assistant County Archaeologist (ACA), archaeological advisor to Wealden District Council (WDC) had initially advised that a heritage assessment would be required. He subsequently identified that a geophysical survey and a trial trench evaluation would also be needed in order to fully inform WDC as to the Site’s archaeological potential. The geophysical report was undertaken and reported on in November 2013 (PCG 2013). The detailed gradiometry survey was conducted over approximately 15 hectares of grassland. The survey further defined a Roman road with flanking ditches and associated settlement focussed in the western part of the development footprint. The intention is that this area will be preserved in situ (to be confirmed by design etc) with the solar array being supported on concrete shoe/bases. In the eastern half of the development footprint the archaeological potential appeared to reduce drastically but there were a number of anomalies which might be either archaeological or natural in origin and it was the objective of the trial trenching to test and assess these. The trenching also assessed whether the Roman road continued/survives further to the east. The current works will inform the ACA whether any further intrusive mitigation will be required. It is likely that some form of further monitoring will be necessary during construction if only to assess/approve the array installation where it is constructed supported on concrete shoes/bases. The site 1.5 The 15ha site is located on farmland in the southern part of the Low Weald, a broad low-lying clay vale which runs around three sides of the High Weald through Kent, Sussex and Surrey. The Site is situated on a relatively level plateau of land overlooked by low hills to the south and east, a part of the east side of the broad, uneven valley of the River Cuckmere which is located approximately 320m west of the Site. The highest part of the Site is located on the south side at approximately 25m aOD. The lowest part of the Site is at the north-west corner at approximately 15m aOD. The Low Weald has a wooded character with numerous copses, shaws and remnants of woodland. The Site is bounded on its east side by woodland and an extensive area of woodland, Abbots Wood, is located approximately 900m to the north-east. The local landscape is well settled, characterized by dispersed farmsteads and small villages several of which are in close vicinity to the site. 6 Water courses and ponds are abundant features of the landscape and a large modern reservoir, Arlington Reservoir, lies approximately 550m to the north-west. To the south the dominant feature of the wider landscape are the hills at the eastern end of the South Downs which lie approximately 2.5km to the south. 1.6 The Site consists of two regular, roughly rectangular fields. The two western fields are under arable cultivation, and the field to the east is currently used as pasture. The site is surrounded by further fields of both pasture and arable that vary considerably in size and shape. Most boundaries are heavily wooded. To the immediate west is an area of small woodland and
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