Bidford Grange Golf Club Bidford-On-Avon Alcester Warwickshire
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BIDFORD GRANGE GOLF CLUB BIDFORD-ON-AVON ALCESTER WARWICKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION For METROPOLITAN ESTATES CA PROJECT: 3187 CA REPORT: 10145 AUGUST 2010 BIDFORD GRANGE GOLF CLUB BIDFORD-ON-AVON ALCESTER WARWICKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION CA PROJECT: 3187 CA REPORT: 10145 prepared by Ray Holt, Project Officer date 20 August 2010 checked by Richard Young, Project Manager date 24 August 2010 approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts signed date 26 August 2010 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] © Cotswold Archaeology Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) ............................................................................................... 5 3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 7 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 7 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 7 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 8 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS ............................................................................................... 10 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 11 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan, showing archaeological features (1:2000) 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Bidford Grange Golf Club Location: Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire NGR: SP 1174 5180 Type: Evaluation Date: 29 July – 4 August 2010 Planning reference: 03/0323/FUL Location of Archive: To be deposited with Warwickshire Museum Site Code: BOA 10 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July and August 2010 on land at Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire. Nine trenches were excavated. Ridge and furrow cultivation remains were identified, together with one post-medieval ditch and one undated pit containing an articulated sheep skeleton. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In July and August 2010 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Metropolitan Estates on land at Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on- Avon (centred on NGR: SP 1174 5180; Fig. 1). An application for an extension to the existing hotel, and the creation of a new lake within the golf course at Bidford Grange Golf Club has been granted consent by Stratford-upon-Avon District Council (SDC; ref. 03/0323/FUL). The evaluation was undertaken to fulfil a programme of archaeological work required by the consent and recommended by Warwickshire Museum Field Services (WMFS), archaeological advisor to SDC, prior to commencement of works. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a Brief for Archaeological Fieldwork issued by Ms Anna Stocks, Planning Archaeologist, Warwickshire Museum Field Services (WMFS), archaeological advisor to Stratford-upon-Avon District Council (SDC), and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2010) and approved by Ms Stocks. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute for Archaeologists (2008), the Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (English Heritage 2006). It was monitored by Anna Stocks, Planning Archaeologist, Warwickshire Museum Field Services, including a site visit on 3 August 2010. The site 1.3 The proposed development site comprises an area adjacent to the current hotel facilities at Bidford Grange, and the location of a proposed new lake within the associated golf course. The golf course is bounded to the north by the B439, by farmland to the east and west and the River Avon to the south. The site lies between approximately 35m and 40m AOD. 1.4 The area for evaluation encloses a total area of approximately 1.2ha, and comprises at the time of the evaluation an area of terraced gardens and a golf course driving range. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Evaluation 1.5 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as Lower Lias clays of the Jurassic Period (BGS 1974). Clays, clayey silts and mudstone were encountered on site. Archaeological background 1.6 Archaeological excavation in advance of the construction of Bidford Grange Golf Course revealed remains of a substantial Romano-British settlement, previously identified using aerial photographs (Warwickshire Historic Environment Record MWA 4923). The site included possible ring ditches and other enclosures, as well as other linear features (Hart et al 1991). Roundhouses and other possible rectilinear buildings were also recorded, as well as a possible corn-drying kiln. The coins and pottery recovered indicated that the site was occupied from the late 1st century to the 4th century AD, with the main period of occupation in the 2nd century. 1.7 The proposed development also lies to the immediate north of a sequence of medieval and later mill sites. These included a watermill, a windmill, a fulling mill and a paper mill (Warwickshire Historic Environment Record MWA 607). Archaeological objectives 1.8 The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the character, quality, date and extent of any archaeological remains or deposits surviving within the site. This information will assist SDC in making an informed judgement on the significance of the archaeological resource, and the likely impact upon it of the proposed development. Methodology 1.9 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of nine trenches. Trenches 1, 2, 3 and 7 measured 50m in length and 1.6m wide, trench 4 was 25m long and 1.6m wide, trench 5 was 20m long and 1.6m wide, trench 6 was 40m long and 1.6m wide, and trenches 8 and 9 were 10m long and 1.6m wide (Fig. 2). Trenches 1 to 4 were located in the footprint of a proposed lake and Trenches 5 to 9 in the footprint of proposed new buildings. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Bidford Grange Golf Club, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Evaluation 1.10 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007). 1.11 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other Samples from Archaeological Sites (2003), but no samples were recovered. All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995). 1.12 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the artefacts will be deposited with Warwickshire Museum along with the site archive. A summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix C, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain. 2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) 2.1 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts and finds are to be found in Appendices A and B respectively. 2.2 During the evaluation furrows aligned broadly north/south was identified in trenches 1, 2, 3 and 4. In addition two features were identified within trenches 3 and 7. One of these features dated to the post-medieval period, the remaining feature was undated although probably modern. In trenches 1, 2, 3 and 4 a broadly similar stratigraphic sequence was identified; undisturbed natural substrate comprising discreet patches of clayey silt, clay, and laminated mudstone overlain by more homogeneous clayey silt was revealed at depths of between 0.04 and 0.1m below present ground level (bpgl). This was overlain by topsoil, up to 0.2m thick. Trenches 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 showed evidence of recent landscaping; predominantly the dumping of large quantities of brick rubble and general building waste subsequently overlain by topsoil and turf. Trenches 5, 6, 8 and