ARCHAEOLOGICAL STATEMENT
LAND OFF THE A57, SHIREOAKS COMMON WORKSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
PREPARED BY LANPRO SERVICES ON BEHALF OF PEVERIL SECURITIES LTD
January 2021
Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Project Reference: 2657/01
Document Prepared by: Mitchell Pollington BA MA MCIfA
Revision Reason for Update Document Updated
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 2 SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION ...... 1 3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ...... 1 4 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK ...... 2 5 CONCLUSION ...... 5 6 REFERENCES ...... 6
Figure 1. Site location Figure 2. Proposed development site in relation to outline planning application area, archaeological geophysical survey results and areas of archaeological excavation
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Lanpro has been commissioned by Peveril Securities Ltd to produce an archaeological statement to inform a detailed planning application for the construction of a new drive-thru coffee shop on the western side of the A57 (Worksop Road), to the north-east of Shireoaks, near Worksop, in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire.
1.2 The proposed development site is situated within a wider area for which outline planning consent has previously been granted for mix-used development (14/00223/OUT).
1.3 This archaeological statement summarises the results of a number of phases of archaeological assessment, geophysical survey, evaluation trenching and archaeological excavation undertaken as part of the outline planning application, which also covers the proposed development site.
1.4 All archaeological fieldwork was previously managed by Lanpro Services Ltd and has now been completed. No archaeological features or finds were identified within the proposed development site during the previous stages of work.
1.5 Following the completion of the previous stages of archaeological works across the outline planning application area, it was agreed with the then archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council, Ursilla Spence, that no further archaeological works would be required within the outline planning application area, either to determine further applications or as part of any further conditions on detailed planning applications.
2 SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION
2.1 The proposed development site covers 0.41ha located adjacent to the A57 (Worksop Road), on the eastern side of the Shireoaks Common outline planning application area. This is situated to the north-east of Shireoaks, near Worksop, in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire (centred at SK 5629 8160; see Figure 1).
2.2 The proposed development site occupies part of two fields previously under arable cultivation, and is crossed by a field boundary at its western end.
2.3 The recorded bedrock geology within the proposed development site consists of mudstone and sandstone of the Edlington Formation with no superficial deposits recorded (BGS 2021).
3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
3.1 The proposed planning application relates to the erection of a drive-thru coffee shop with associated access, parking, drainage and landscaping.
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
4 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK
4.1 The outline planning application area at Shireoaks Common, including the present proposed development site (see Figure 1), has been subject to a number of stages of archaeological assessment, geophysical survey, evaluation and excavation (see Figure 2). This has all been carried out in agreement with the former archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council, Ursilla Spence, and with Ian George, the Historic Places Manager at Lincolnshire County Council, who now provide archaeological advice to Bassetlaw District Council. The scope and methodology for all archaeological evaluation trenching and excavation across the outline planning application area was detailed and agreed in archaeological Written Schemes of Investigation (WSI; Lanpro 2017a; 2017b; 2019).
4.2 A list of all stages of archaeological works, and documents produced for these, is provided in the table below, and these are subsequently discussed in detail.
Table 1: Previous Archaeological Investigations and Documents
Description Date Doc. Reference Planning ref.
Stratascan 2013, Geophysical Survey Geophysical Survey Nov 2013 Report. Land off Brancliffe Lane, Worksop, 14/00223/OUT Nottinghamshire, ref. J5993
CGMS 2014, Archaeological Desk Based Desk-Based Assessment Jan 2014 Assessment. Land at Shireoaks Common, 14/00223/OUT Worksop, Nottinghamshire, ref. RB/13718
Lanpro 2017, Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Evaluation Evaluation WSI Feb 2017 Trenching. Lane at Shireoaks, near 14/00223/OUT Worksop, Nottinghamshire, ref. HAR003/ 0735H/01
Lanpro 2017, Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Mitigation Excavation WSI March 2017 14/00223/OUT Excavation. Land at Shireoaks, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, ref. HAR003/ 0735H/02
ASWYAS 2017, Land at Shireoaks, Near Evaluation and Excavation July 2017 Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Archaeological 14/00223/OUT Report (Area A) Evaluation and Excavation, ref. 2991
Lanpro 2019, Written Scheme of Excavation WSI Investigation for Archaeological Mitigation Dec 2019 18/00413/OUT (updated – Area B) Excavation. Land at Shireoaks, Worksop, Nottinghamshire (Area B), ref. 1909/01
Headland 2020, Land at Shireoaks (Area B), Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. Excavation Report (Area B) Feb 2020 18/00413/OUT Archaeological Mitigation Excavation, ref. SWNO20
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Geophysical Survey and Desk-Based Assessment
4.3 In November 2013 an archaeological geophysical survey was undertaken across the whole of the outline planning application area, including the proposed development site (Stratascan 2013). The survey did not identify any probable archaeology, although a number of possible archaeological anomalies were recorded. The majority of these were interpreted as relating to agricultural activity, while the remaining recorded anomalies were of geological or modern origin, relating to agriculture, former field boundaries, land drains, underground services and fencing. Within the present proposed development site, no geophysical anomalies were identified, apart from magnetic responses relating to the presence of the modern field boundary crossing the site’s western side, and the road embankment to the east (see Figure 2).
4.1 The geophysical survey was used to inform the production of an archaeological desk-based assessment (DBA) for the whole of outline planning application area (CGMS 2014). This identified no records of prehistoric remains within the outline area or within 500m of its boundary. There were two records of Roman remains within the surrounding area, consisting of the discovery of a number of coins and pottery c.250m to the south-west of the site, and a single Roman coin found at Gateford Hall, 500m to the outline area’s east. The DBA assessed that there was no evidence for any Roman or prehistoric activity settlement in the vicinity of the outline area, and that there was low potential for previously unrecorded archaeology to be present within this area. There were no records of early medieval activity within the outline area or 500m around it, and no later medieval remains were recorded. The DBA therefore assessed that there was low potential for any remains of a medieval date to survive within the outline area. It is likely that the site remained in primarily agricultural use through the medieval and post-medieval periods. By the end of the 19th century it had been enclosed to create a number of rectangular fields, but the field boundaries were largely removed by the 1960s to allow for more intensive industrial agricultural practices.
Archaeological Evaluation
4.2 Following the grant of outline planning permission in January 2016, a condition was placed on this permission requiring that a programme of archaeological works should be undertaken ‘to ensure that any features of archaeological interest are protected or recorded’ (Condition 21; 14/00223/OUT). Following consultation with Ursilla Spence, the then archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council, it was agreed that an initial programme of archaeological evaluation trenching would be undertaken.
4.3 The scope of the archaeological evaluation trenching was agreed with the archaeological advisor in a WSI produced in February 2017 (Lanpro 2017a; see Figure 2). This comprised the excavation of 18 trenches across the outline planning application area. The location of these was agreed with the archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council in order to target
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
anomalies identified during the geophysical survey, and determine whether these anomalies were archaeological in origin. Four further trenches were subsequently also excavated, at the request of the archaeological adviser. Due to the lack of evidence for any archaeological remains within the present proposed development site, it was not considered that any archaeological evaluation was required in this area.
4.4 The majority of the anomalies targeted proved to be geological or modern in nature. However, a focus of Romano-British activity was identified on the south-western side of the outline application area, and a possible prehistoric ring-ditch recorded on the outline area’s eastern side. It was agreed with the council’s archaeological advisor that an open area of archaeological excavation was required over the site of the Romano-British activity, together with a smaller excavation covering the location of the possible ring ditch (see Figure 2; Areas A and B). As the south-western side of the outline application area was due to be developed as part of the first phase of construction, it was agreed that the excavation of the Romano- British activity (Area A) would be undertaken immediately, and the results combined with those of the evaluation trenching. The potential ring ditch feature (Area B) would be excavated at a future date, following agreement of detailed development proposals.
4.5 No archaeological evaluation or subsequent excavation was required within the present proposed development site.
Archaeological Excavation (Area A)
4.6 The scope and methodology for the archaeological excavations was agreed in a WSI with the archaeological adviser to Bassetlaw Council in March 2017 (Lanpro 2017b). This provided for the excavation of a 0.65ha area targeting the Romano-British features identified during the evaluation trenching on the outline application area’s south-western side (Area A), as well as a smaller 0.14ha area targeting the possible prehistoric ring ditch on the outline area’s eastern edge (Area B), which was to be undertaken at a future date (see Figure 2).
4.7 The excavation of Area A was undertaken by ASWYAS in April and May of 2017, and identified a rectangular enclosure, sub-enclosure ditches, gullies and pits dating from the mid-1st to at least the mid-4th century AD. Roman period ceramic building material and pottery finds suggest the enclosure may be associated with an adjacent settlement, which may have been located on the area of higher ground to the south of the site, that is now occupied by modern residential development.
4.8 Following the completion of the excavation of Area A, an assessment report was produced by ASWYAS detailing the results of the excavation (ASWYAS 2017), and submitted to the archaeological adviser to Bassetlaw Council, allowing residential development to take place over this part of the outline application area.
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Archaeological Excavation (Area B)
4.9 In 2019 Lanpro were commissioned to produce an updated archaeological WSI to inform a planning application for the development of a 0.14ha area on the eastern side of the outline application area, to the north of the present proposed development site (Lanpro 2019). This was approved by Ian George, the Historic Places Manager at Lincolnshire County Council, who now provide archaeological planning advice to Bassetlaw Council.
4.10 This proposed development covered the location of the possible prehistoric ring ditch identified by the previous geophysical survey and evaluation trenching, for which it had been agreed that an open area excavation would take place prior to development (Area B; see Figure 2). Headland Archaeology undertook the archaeological excavation of Area B under management of Lanpro. This work identified two parallel, shallow linear ditches which broadly corresponded with the location of the possible ring-ditch. However, the excavation confirmed that these ditches were separate, parallel, linear features and did not form part a ring-ditch. No dating evidence was retrieved from either ditch. Evidence of agricultural activity in the form of a furrow and land drains were also identified. The results of this excavation were provided in a detailed assessment report, and submitted to the Historic Places Manager at Lincolnshire County Council.
4.11 The excavation of Area B completed all archaeological evaluation and mitigation excavation works required for the whole of the outline planning application area, including the present proposed development site, as agreed with the former archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council, Ursilla Spence.
5 CONCLUSION
5.1 The proposed development site is situated within the eastern side of an outline planning application area for which an extensive programme of archaeological geophysical survey, assessment, evaluation trenching and mitigation excavation has been carried out with the agreement of the former archaeological advisor to Bassetlaw District Council and the Historic Places Manager at Lincolnshire County Council. All agreed stages of the required archaeological works for the outline planning application area, including the present proposed development site, has now been completed.
5.2 At no stage of the archaeological works were any archaeological remains identified within the present proposed development site, and following the results of the archaeological geophysical survey of 2013, no further archaeological investigations have been required in the area of the proposed development site.
5.3 It is therefore considered that further archaeological investigation of the proposed development site’s archaeological potential is unnecessary to inform decision-making on the planning application.
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
6 REFERENCES
ASWYAS 2017, ‘Land at Shireoaks, Near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Archaeological Evaluation and Excavation’, ref. 2991
BGS 2021, British Geological Survey website, www.bgs.ac.uk/data/mapViewers/home.html (last accessed 12th January 2021) CGMS 2014, ‘Archaeological Desk Based Assessment. Land at Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire’, ref. RB/13718
Headland 2020,’ Land at Shireoaks (Area B), Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. Archaeological Mitigation Excavation’, ref. SWNO20
Lanpro 2017a, ‘Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Evaluation Trenching. Lane at Shireoaks, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire’, ref. HAR003/ 0735H/01
Lanpro 2017b, ‘Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Mitigation Excavation. Land at Shireoaks, Worksop, Nottinghamshire’, ref. HAR003/ 0735H/02 Lanpro 2019, ‘Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological Mitigation Excavation. Land at Shireoaks, Worksop, Nottinghamshire (Area B)’, ref. 1909/01
Stratascan 2013, ‘Geophysical Survey Report. Land off Brancliffe Lane, Worksop, Nottinghamshire’, ref. J5993
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Lanpro Services Ltd. Archaeological Statement: Land off the A57, Shireoaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Figures
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Proposed development site
Outline Applica on Boundary (14/00223/OUT)
Figure 1. Site loca on
© Crown copyright 2021 OS Licence 100059060 14
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16 Area B (completed 2020)
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2 Planning Application Area 1 9 3 11
Area A (completed 2017) 19 12
20 7 22 21 10
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Figure 2. Proposed development site in relation to outline planning application area, archaeological geophysical survey results and areas of archaeological excavation
0 100m Proposed development site Outline application boundary Completed archaeological excavation Excavated evaluation trench N 1:2500 @ A3 Norwich: Brettingham House 98 Pottergate Norwich Norfolk NR2 1EQ 01603 631 319
Chelmsford: The Aquarium 101 Lower Anchor Street Chelmsford Essex CM2 0AU 01245 929 074
Retford: Retford Enterprise Centre Randall Way Retford DN22 7GR 01777 552 001
York: Blake House 18 Blake Street York Y01 8QG 01904 803 800
London: 70 Cowcross Street London EC1M 6EL 020 3011 0820
Manchester: Peter House Oxford Street Manchester Greater Manchester M1 5AN 0161 711 1740
Cambridge: 33/35 Regent Street Cambridge CB2 1AB 01223 778 160
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