Land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS LTD LAND AT GREEN LANE WEST, SALHOUSE ROAD, RACKHEATH, NORFOLK AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT Authors: Peter Thompson MA (Report) Illustrations: Dr John R Summers NGR: TG 2814 1255 Report No: 4584 District: Broadland Site Code: N/A Approved: C Halpin MCIfA Project No: 5694 Date: 17 June 2014 Signed: Revised: 05/07/2017 This report is confidential to the client. Archaeological Solutions Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party replies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Archaeological Solutions Ltd Archaeological Solutions is an independent archaeological contractor providing the services which satisfy all archaeological requirements of planning applications, including: Desk-based assessments and environmental impact assessments Historic building recording and appraisals Trial trench evaluations Geophysical surveys Archaeological monitoring and recording Archaeological excavations Post excavation analysis Promotion and outreach Specialist analysis ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS LTD PI House, 23 Clifton Road, Shefford, Bedfordshire SG17 5AF 01462 850483 Unit 6, Brunel Business Court, Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds IP32 7AJ 01284 765210 e-mail [email protected] www.archaeologicalsolutions.co.uk twitter.com/ArchaeologicalS g www.facebook.com/ArchaeologicalSolutions Land at Green Lane West, Salthouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk 2 © Archaeological Solutions Ltd CONTENTS OASIS SUMMARY SHEET SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE 3 METHODOLOGY 4 THE EVIDENCE 4.1 Topography, Geology & Soils 4.2 Archaeological and Historical Background 4.3 Cartographic Evidence 4.4 Constraints 5 SITE VISIT 6 DISCUSSION 7 CONCLUSION 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX 1 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT REPORT INFORMATION APPENDIX 2 CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES APPENDIX 3 TITHE APPORTIONMENT Land at Green Lane West, Salthouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk 3 © Archaeological Solutions Ltd OASIS SUMMARY SHEET Project name Land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk In May 2014, Archaeological Solutions Limited (AS) carried out an archaeological desk-based assessment on land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk (NGR TG 2814 1255). The assessment was commissioned by TimChris Farms Limited and R & J.M. Place Limited and Norfolk Homes in support of a detailed application for a development of 322 dwellings. A Bronze Age spearhead was metal detected adjacent to the site and worked flints have been recovered from the field to the south. A group of undated and probably multi-period field systems, which may have commenced in the Iron Age, are located to the north of the site. These and other field systems which may predate Rackheath Park could also be Romano-British in date. Roman pottery and undated pits containing burnt flint were found during pipeline construction to the east. The medieval village of Rackheath Parva was located approximately 500m to the north, and a medieval track known as Ravensgate Way crossed the northern tip of the site. A large number of cropmarks of possible medieval date have been identified to the north of the site, and a fragmentary ditch identified to the south may also be medieval. Rackheath Park which included the site was a deer park by the late 16th century, which was greatly enhanced in the 19th century with new lodges and an avenue, and Hall Farm was also built at this time. A quarry pit pre-dating the 19th century was dug on the site. A WWII American airfield was located to the north-east and associated domestic buildings were present around the site with a military training area to the north. Project dates (fieldwork) n/a Previous work (Y/N/?) N Future work (Y/N/?) TBC P. number 5694 Site code n/a Type of project Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment Site status n/a Current land use Agricultural land Planned development Development of 322 dwellings Main features (+dates) n/a Significant finds (+dates) n/a Project location County/ District/ Parish Norfolk Broadland Rackheath HER for area Norfolk Historic Environment Record (NHER) Post code (if known) Area of site Approx 16.9ha NGR TG 2814 1255 Height AOD (min/max) Approximately 25.7 to 31.8m AOD Project creators Brief issued by n/a Project supervisor/s (PO) Archaeological Solutions Ltd Funded by TimChris Farms Limited and R & J.M. Place Limited and Norfolk Homes Full title Land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk: An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment Authors Peter Thompson MA Report no. 4584 Date (of report) 17 June 2014 (Revised 05/07/2017) Land at Green Lane West, Salthouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk 4 © Archaeological Solutions Ltd LAND AT GREEN LANE WEST, SALHOUSE ROAD, RACKHEATH, NORFOLK AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT SUMMARY In May 2014, Archaeological Solutions Limited (AS) carried out an archaeological desk- based assessment on land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk (NGR TG 2814 1255). The assessment was commissioned by TimChris Farms Limited and R & J.M. Place Limited and Norfolk Homes in support of a detailed application for a development of 322 dwellings. A Bronze Age spearhead was metal detected adjacent to the site and worked flints have been recovered from the field to the south. A group of undated and probably multi- period field systems, which may have commenced in the Iron Age, are located to the north of the site. These and other field systems which may predate Rackheath Park could also be Romano-British in date. Roman pottery and undated pits containing burnt flint were found during pipeline construction to the east. The medieval village of Rackheath Parva was located approximately 500m to the north, and a medieval track known as Ravensgate Way crossed the northern tip of the site. A large number of cropmarks of possible medieval date have been identified to the north of the site, and a fragmentary ditch identified to the south may also be medieval. Rackheath Park which included the site was a deer park by the late 16th century, which was greatly enhanced in the 19th century with new lodges and an avenue, and Hall Farm was also built at this time. A quarry pit pre-dating the 19th century was dug on the site. A WWII American airfield was located to the north-east and associated domestic buildings were present around the site with a military training area to the north. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 In May 2014, Archaeological Solutions Limited (AS) carried out an archaeological desk-based assessment on land at Green Lane West, Salhouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk (NGR TG 2814 1255; Figs. 1-2). The assessment was commissioned by TimChris Farms Limited and R & J.M. Place Limited and Norfolk Homes in support of a detailed application for a development of 322 dwellings. 1.2 The assessment was undertaken according to a specification prepared by Archaeological Solutions Ltd (dated 20/03/2014). It followed the procedures outlined in the Institute for Archaeologists’ (IFA; now Chartered Institute for Archaeologists) Standard and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk-Based Assessment (revised 2012). Land at Green Lane West, Salthouse Road, Rackheath, Norfolk 5 © Archaeological Solutions Ltd 1.3 The objectives of the archaeological desk-based assessment were to provide for the identification of areas of archaeological potential within the site, to consider the site within its wider archaeological context and to describe the likely extent, nature, condition, importance and potential state of preservation of the archaeology. The context of future development proposals for the site has been examined and areas of significant previous ground disturbance have been identified. Planning Policy Context 1.4 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012) states that those parts of the historic environment that have significance because of their historic, archaeological, architectural or artistic interest are heritage assets. The NPPF aims to deliver sustainable development by ensuring that policies and decisions that concern the historic environment recognise that heritage assets are a non-renewable resource, take account of the wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits of heritage conservation, and recognise that intelligently managed change may sometimes be necessary if heritage assets are to be maintained for the long term. The NPPF requires applications to describe the significance of any heritage asset, including its setting that may be affected in proportion to the asset’s importance and the potential impact of the proposal. 1.5 The NPPF aims to conserve England’s heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance, with substantial harm to designated heritage assets (i.e. listed buildings, scheduled monuments) only permitted in exceptional circumstances when the public benefit of a proposal outweighs the conservation of the asset. The effect of proposals on non-designated heritage assets must be balanced against the scale of loss and significance of the asset, but non-designated heritage assets of demonstrably equivalent significance may be considered subject to the same policies as those that are designated. The NPPF states that opportunities to capture evidence from the historic environment, to record and advance the understanding of heritage assets and to make this publicly available is a requirement of development management. This opportunity should be taken in a manner proportionate to the significance of a heritage asset and to impact of the proposal, particularly where a heritage asset is to be lost. 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE (Figs. 1 - 2) 2.1 Rackheath is a village (and parish) located 6.5km north-east of the centre of Norwich, and is described in The Broadland District Local Plan (Replacement) 2006 as a dormitory village for the city. The assessment site is located on the west side of New Rackheath which is located 1km south of Rackheath, and was originally known as Little Rackheath or Rackheath Parva. The assessment site comprises to parts which are divided by a north-east to south-west aligned track, and also, on the west side, by a small field.