An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Land at Lion House, Slough, Berkshire
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An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Land at Lion House, Slough, Berkshire NGR TQ 598 699 Parish of Slough Slough Borough Prepared for O.C. Ventures Ltd Caroline Russell BA, PhD Project No. 2919 June 2007 Archaeology South-East, 1, West Street, Ditchling, Hassocks, W. Sussex. BN6 8TS Tel: 01273 845497 Fax: 01273 844187 [email protected] Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough _____________________________________________________________________ Summary A Desk Based Assessment has been prepared for a plot of land at Lion House, Petersfield Avenue, Slough. A review of existing archaeological and historical sources suggested that the Site has a low potential for containing deposits of Prehistoric to Medieval date, and a high potential for containing deposits relating to a terrace of late 19th century buildings. Farming and various phases of construction in the 19th onwards is likely to have truncated to an unknown extent any archaeological deposits across much of the site. _____________________________________________________________________ i Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough _____________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Site Topography and Geology 3. Planning Background 4. Archaeological and Historical Background 5. Cartographic Evidence 6. Aerial Photographs 7. Walkover Survey 8. Assessment of Archaeological Potential 9. Existing Impacts on Archaeological Potential 10. Assessment of Future Impacts 11. Recommendations 12. Acknowledgments References Appendix 1: Summary Table of Archaeological Sites _____________________________________________________________________ ii Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough _____________________________________________________________________ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site Location Plan showing SMR Data Fig. 2 Site Location Plan (in greater detail) Fig. 3 3D Model of Proposed Development Fig. 4 Thomas Jefferys, Map of Buckinghamshire, 1770 Fig. 5 Richard Binfield, Inclosure Map, 1822 Fig. 6 A. Byrant, Map of Buckinghamshire, 1825 Fig. 7 OS 25-inch, 1st ed., 1876 Fig. 8 OS 25-inch, 1st ed. revised, 1880 Fig. 9 OS 25-inch, 2nd ed., 1899 Fig. 10 OS 6-inch, 1913 Fig. 11 OS 25-inch, 3rd ed., 1925 _____________________________________________________________________ iii Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough ________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Archaeology South-East (a division of the University College London Centre for Applied Archaeology) has been commissioned by Catalyst Regeneration (UK) Ltd, on behalf of O.C. Ventures Ltd, to carry out an archaeological appraisal, consisting of a desk based assessment (DBA) and walkover survey, of a plot of land at Lion House, Petersfield Avenue, Slough (Figs. 1 & 2). This report follows the recommendations set out by the Institute of Field Archaeologists in Standards and Guidance for Archaeological Desk- Based Assessments (IFA 2001) and utilises existing information in order to establish as far as possible the archaeological potential of the Site. The report will also consider, as far as available information will allow, the likely effects, whether positive or negative, of the proposed development. The temporal scope of the study will include both the construction and operational phases of the proposed development. The site location is shown on Figs. 1 and 2. Centred on National Grid Reference SU 980 802, the Site lies on low-lying land in north-east Slough. The large town of Slough is located in the Middle Thames Valley. A wider Study Area, extending for 1 kilometre from the centre of the site, has been considered to place the Site in context (Fig. 1). The terms Site and Study Area will be used accordingly in this report. It should be noted that this form of non-intrusive appraisal cannot be seen to be a definitive statement on the presence or absence of archaeological remains within any area but rather as an indicator of the area’s potential based on existing information. Further intrusive investigations, such as machine-excavated trial trenching, are usually needed to conclusively define the presence/absence, character and quality of any archaeological remains in a given area. In drawing up this desk based assessment, cartographic and documentary sources held by Slough Library, and the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies at Aylesbury have been consulted. Archaeological data was obtained from the Sites and Monuments Record held by Berkshire Archaeology Service. Listed Building and Conservation Area data was acquired from English Heritage and Berkshire Archaeology Service. Relevant sources held within Slough reference library and the Archaeology South-East library were utilised, and appropriate Internet databases interrogated. These included: The Defence of Britain Project, The English Heritage NMR Excavation Index and National Inventory, and the Magic website, which holds government digital data of designated sites (Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Registered Historic Parks and Gardens, and Registered Historic Battlefields) in GIS map form. Relevant _____________________________________________________________________ 1 Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough ________________________________________________________________________ aerial photographs from the National Monuments Record, Swindon, have also been also obtained. 2. SITE TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY The Site is located in north-east Slough, in an area that is both heavily industrial and residential. Housing surrounds the Site on all the enclosed sides. Its boundary is defined by a mix of fencing, walling, and various structures on the site itself. The Site is located at an altitude of 30 m OD. Slough lies on an expanse of very low land, between 20 m and 55 m OD in height, with the highest land lying to the north-west in Burnham, and the lowest lying to the south. Slough is part of the Middle Thames Valley (WEA Local History Class 1981, 6). The River Thames flows between Slough and Windsor to the south and, at its nearest, is about a mile from Upton Park in Slough. The River Thames also borders Slough to its west, albeit not as closely here, whilst the River Colne, some five miles away, loosely borders the town’s eastern side. The area to the north of Slough rises in a series of gentle river terraces (or old flood plains) towards the chalk escarpment of the Chiltern Hills. Slough is built on the Taplow Terrace (Fraser 1980, 3). Slough has an underlying formation of chalk (Fraser 1980, 3). According to the British Geological Survey of England and Wales 1:50,000 map (Sheet 269, Windsor), Slough has central patches of Taplow Gravel (from the third terrace) dating to the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. This gravel is a River Terrace deposit of the River Thames and its tributaries. It is surrounded by the contemporary Langley Silt (comprising sandy clay and silt), which is commonly known as brickearth. Taplow Gravel is also found on the outskirts of Slough, but it differs from that previously mentioned in predominantly overlying London Clay which dates to the Eocene epoch. London clay and Langley silt were both exploited by the brickmaking industries in Slough (see section 4.8; VCH 1925, 301-02; Fraser 1980, 3). The fertile top-soil of the Taplow terrace led to Slough’s development as a horticultural centre in the 18th and 19th centuries (see section 4.8; ibid, 3). The Site is shown as lying on a deposit of Taplow Gravel that has subsequently been worked, perhaps by gravel extraction. _____________________________________________________________________ 2 Archaeology South-East Lion House, Slough ________________________________________________________________________ 3. PLANNING BACKGROUND 3.1 Town and Country Planning Legislation and Procedures Government guidance to local authorities is given in Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs). ‘PPG16 covers Archaeology and Planning. PPG 15 “Planning and the Historic Environment”, although concerned principally with listed buildings and conservation areas, also includes references to elements of the historic environment. Consideration of detailed planning issues is beyond the remit of this report, but the general background as relating to archaeological matters can be briefly summarised as follows: Archaeological remains should be seen as a finite, and non-renewable, resource...care must be taken to ensure that [they] are not needlessly or thoughtlessly destroyed. (PPG 16 para. 6). Where nationally important remains, whether scheduled or not, and their settings, are affected by proposed development there should be a presumption in favour of their physical preservation. [In the case of] remains of lesser importance...planning authorities will need to weigh the relative importance of the archaeology against other factors including the need for the proposed development (PPG 16 para. 8). If physical preservation in situ is not feasible, an archaeological excavation...may be an acceptable alternative (PPG 16 para. 13). ...the key to the future of the great majority of archaeological sites lies with local authorities, acting within the framework set by central government...Appropriate policies in development plans and their implementation through development control will be especially important. (PPG 16 para 14). 3.2 Berkshire Structure Plan The Unitary Authorities in Berkshire, including Slough Borough Council, have a united policy for conserving and enhancing the heritage of the county for the benefit of present and future generations. This