Down Ampney House Down Ampney, Cirencester Gloucestershire
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DOWN AMPNEY HOUSE DOWN AMPNEY, CIRENCESTER GLOUCESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION CA PROJECT: 1481 CA REPORT: 02142 Author: Franco Vartuca Approved: Mary Alexander Signed: ……………………………………………………………. Issue: 01 Date: January 2003 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 Headquarters Building, Kemble Business Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected] Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 3 The site ................................................................................................................ 3 Archaeological background.................................................................................. 4 Archaeological objectives .................................................................................... 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 4 2. RESULTS................................................................................................................... 5 Trench 1............................................................................................................... 5 Trench 2............................................................................................................... 5 Trench 3............................................................................................................... 5 Trench 4............................................................................................................... 6 3. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................. 6 4. CA PROJECT TEAM.................................................................................................. 6 5. REFERENCES........................................................................................................... 6 APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...................................................................... 7 APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS ........................................................ 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan Fig. 2 Trench location plan Fig. 3 Plans of trenches 1 and 2 1 Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Down Ampney House Location: Down Ampney, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire NGR: SP 0980 9655 Type: Evaluation Date: 2, 3 & 9 January 2003 Location of Archive: Corinium Museum, Cirencester Site Code: DAH 03 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in January 2003 at the request of Peter Yiangou Associates on the behalf of the landowners, Mr & Mrs Mullen, at Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. In compliance with an approved project design, a total of four trenches were excavated across the development area. Two trenches excavated within a walled garden revealed a series of deep, trench-like features probably associated with the cultivation of root vegetables, while the remaining two trenches in the garden revealed undisturbed natural deposits. The evaluation has characterised the archaeological potential of the study area, and has indicated that the site contains no significant archaeological features or deposits. Acknowledgements The CA would like to thank Mr & Mrs Mullen for funding the project. Thanks also to Neil Quinn of Peter Yiangou Associates. 2 Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In January 2003 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Peter Yiangou Associates on behalf of the landowners, Mr & Mrs Mullen at Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: SP 0980 9655; Fig.1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany a planning application for the construction of a pavilion, swimming pool, garage block and tennis court. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological recording prepared by Mr Charles Parry, Senior Archaeological Officer for Gloucestershire County Council, the archaeological advisor to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent detailed project specification produced by CA (2002) and approved by the LPA acting on the advice of Mr Parry. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluations issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999) and the Statement of Standards and Practices Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire (GCC 1996). It was monitored by Mr Parry. The site 1.3 Down Ampney House is situated to the south of the village close to Ampney Brook and the Wiltshire border, directly adjacent to the medieval church of All Saints which is surrounded to the north, east and west by the gardens to the House (Fig. 2). The site lies on flat ground at approximately 84m AOD. 1.4 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Oxford Clay and Kellaways Beds of the Upper Jurassic period (Institute of Geological Sciences 1979). 1.5 The proposed developments comprising a pavilion, swimming pool, garage block and tennis court are to be built in areas currently used as gardens, the pavilion and swimming pool are within a walled garden adjacent to the main entrance of the grounds. 3 Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological background 1.6 Archaeological interest in the site arises from the medieval origins of Down Ampney House (circa 1470) and its proximity to the medieval church of All Saints, which lies to the south-east of Down Ampney House and is surrounded to the north, east and west by the gardens to the House. It is possible that at an earlier date the church burial ground extended beneath the gardens and that medieval occupation associated with the church and house may be present. Archaeological objectives 1.7 The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the character, quality, date, significance and extent of any archaeological remains or deposits surviving within the site. This information will assist the Local Planning Authority in making an informed judgement on the likely impact upon the archaeological resource by the proposed development. Methodology 1.8 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of four trenches, two measuring 5m by 1.5m, one measuring 8m by 1.5m, and another measuring 10m by 1.5m in the locations shown on Figure 2. 1.9 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 the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996). 1.10 The archive of the evaluation is currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive will be deposited with Corinium Museum, Cirencester. 4 Down Ampney House, Down Ampney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 2. RESULTS 2.1 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts are to be found in Appendix 1. Details of the relative heights of the principal deposits expressed as metres above Ordnance Datum (m AOD) appear in Appendix 2. Trench 1 2.2 Trench 1 was excavated to a maximum depth of 2m revealing natural clay and fine gravel 109 at approximately 0.70m below present ground level. Two trench-like features 105 and 107 were revealed cutting into the natural 109, approximately 1.30m in depth (Fig.3). Both features contained identical fills 106 and 108, which included very occasional small fragments of modern domestic refuse. These in turn were sealed by a layer of subsoil 104, approximately 0.20m thick, which was identical to the fills 106 and 108. This was overlain by topsoil/garden soil 103, approximately 0.30m thick, which in turn was overlain by a sub base layer 102 for a garden path 101, approximately 0.20m in total thickness. Trench 2 2.3 Trench 2 was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.50m revealing natural clay and fine gravel 205 at approximately 0.75m below present ground level. A single trench- like feature 203, ‘L’ shaped in plan, was revealed cutting into the natural 205, approximately 0.95m in depth (Fig.4). Its fill 204 included very occasional small fragments of modern domestic refuse, and was identical to the overlying subsoil 202 which was approximately 0.20m thick. This in turn was overlain by topsoil/garden soil 201 which was approximately 0.35m thick. Trench 3 2.4 Trench 3 was excavated to a maximum depth