OFFA'S DYKE: SECTION NORTH FROM SE OF BRYNMORGAN TO LOWER SPOAD LLANFAIR WATERDINE AND CLUN - SHROPSHIRE MON. NO. 80

UNAUTHORISED WORKS AFFECTING OFFA'S DYKE AT SPOAD HILL, NR CLUN (NGR: SO25478085)

In 1993, it was reported that unauthorised works had affected a portion of Offa's Dyke, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, opposite Springhill Farm, Spoad Hill, Clun.

The section of the Dyke which runs to the west and north of Springhill Farm is particularly well preserved, the bank standing to several metres in height, with a clearly defined ditch along its western side. It was agreed that the Archaeology Service of the Leisure Services Department, Shropshire County Council, should clean and record the exposed section through the ditch in order to determine the extent of the damage to the monument, and this was duly carried out on 7th July 1994..

The unauthorised works consisted of an L-shaped cut, about 0.9m deep by 2m wide running from the northern edge of the roadside for about 14m into the centre of the ditch on the west side of the Dyke (Fig. 1). The eastern 5m of these works were cut into the western side and fills of the Dyke's ditch. A 9" concrete drain pipe was seen to open into the bottom of the cut at its western end from the roadside, presumably taking rainwater from the road and preventing it from entering the farm buildings on south side of road. The bottom of the new drainage cut sloped down to the east presumably with the intention of using the Dyke's ditch as a soak-away. The unauthorised works had apparently been undertaken quite recently, as the spoil on either side of the cutting was largely still bare, with only nettles and foxgloves growing on it, and the sides of the cut itself were still relatively fresh. An older drainage cutting, partially choked with leaf litter and timber, ran westward (away from the Dyke) from the western end of the unauthorised works towards the cross-roads, presumably representing the original line of this drain.

The unauthorised works had been cut to the centre line of the Dyke's ditch, cutting through both the side of the ditch and its fills (Fig. 2). At this point, the ditch was seen to survive to a depth of 0.8m below the present ground surface. The ditch was seen to be rock cut, and three distinct fills were observed. The earliest (1304) was seen to consist of a very dark grey sandy silt; the upper two (1303 and 1302) consisting of dark brown sandy silts with rock fragments. These fills were sealed by a layer of humic topsoil 0.35m deep (1301). Spoil probably derived from the unauthorised works had been dumped on either side of the cutting.

H R Hannaford July 1994 Field Archaeologist

The writer would like to thank Paul Williams for his assistance with the fieldwork, and for producing the illustrations for this report.