High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works Little Marlow Stw - High Wycombe Stw
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HIGH WYCOMBE SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS LITTLE MARLOW STW - HIGH WYCOMBE STW BUCKINGHAMSHIRE NGR: SU 8750 8740 to SU 8810 8890 ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING Report No. 324 December 2003 High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording HIGH WYCOMBE SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS LITTLE MARLOW STW-HIGHWYCOMBE STW NGR: SU 8750 8740 - SU 8810 8890 ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING December 2003 This report has been compiled with all reasonable skill care and attention to detail within the terms of the project as specified by the client and within the general terms and conditions of Archaeological Management Services Ltd trading as Foundations Archaeology. This report is confidential to the client. AMS Ltd accepts no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report or any part thereof is made known. Any such party relies on this report at their own risk. © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording CONTENTS List of Illustrations Summary Glossary 1 INTRODUCTION 2 PROJECT BACKGROUND 3 AIMS 4 METHODOLOGY 5 RESULTS 6 CONCLUSIONS 7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Appendix 1 Pottery Report LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Site Location Figure 2: Location of Areas of Archaeological Activity Figure 3: Detail Plan 1 Figure 4: Detail Plans 2 & 3 Figure 5: Detail Plan 4 & 5 Figure 6: Detail Plan 6 Figure 7: Sections © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording SUMMARY In March 2003 Foundations Archaeology was commissioned to undertake a programme of archaeological monitoring and recording on the construction of an approximately 1.5km section of new sewer; from Little Marlow STW at NGR: SU 8750 8740 to a point to the northwest of Fern NGR: SU 8810 8890 (Figure 2). From Fern the remainder of the pipeline (3.2km) to High Wycombe STW was to be tunnelled and therefore had no potential for the recovery of archaeological deposits. The archaeological works comprised the monitoring of the topsoil strip of a 30m wide easement across the study area (Figure 2). Pipe trenching was thereafter undertaken under watching brief conditions as specified in the Project Design. Spoil tips were scanned for unstratified finds along the route. A number of archaeological features were revealed during the course of the works. These consisted of a number of posthole-type features and two ditches. These features appeared to date to the Late Iron Age- early Roman period. © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording GLOSSARY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Archaeology For the purpose of this project archaeology is taken to mean the study of past human societies through their material remains from prehistoric times to the modern era. No rigid upper date limit has been set, but AD 1900 is used as a general cut-off point. Medieval The period between the Norman Conquest (AD 1066) and c. AD 1500. Natural In archaeological terms this refers to the undisturbed natural geology of a site, in this case Gravel over London Clay, with Brickearth deposits across the central section of the route. Neolithic Prehistoric period traditionally dated between 4000 and 2800 BC NGR National Grid Reference from the Ordnance Survey Grid. OD Ordnance datum; used to express a given height above sea-level. OS Ordnance Survey Romano-British Term used to describe the synthesis of indigenous late Iron Age cultures with the invasive Roman culture. Traditionally dated between AD 43 and c. AD 410 © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between March and May 2003, Foundations Archaeology undertook a programme of archaeological monitoring and recording on a section of pipe laying between Little Marlow STW and a point to the northwest of Fern at (NGR: SU 8810 8890) (Figure 1). The work was commissioned by Lang Hall Archaeology on behalf of Thames Water Utilities, following the advice of the Archaeology Section of Buckinghamshire County Council. 1.2 The study area comprised a 1.5 km length of pipeline with easement. The works were undertaken in accordance with a project design prepared by Foundations Archaeology (2003) based on a specification prepared by Lang Hall Archaeology (2003) and a brief prepared by Buckinghamshire County Council (2003). The project was undertaken in accordance with the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Watching Briefs issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999) and Archaeological Guidance Paper 4: Archaeological Watching Briefs: (guidelines) issued by English Heritage (London Region). 1.3 This document presents the findings of the archaeological monitoring and the excavation of a number of archaeological features identified along the route. 2 PROJECT BACKGROUND 2.1 The new sewage pipe covered by this project was constructed as part of a larger scheme between the Little Marlow South Sewage Treatment Works (NGR: SU 8750 8740) and the High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works (NGR: SU 8820 9220). The pipeline was constructed partly by traditional open-cut method and partly by tunnel. The open-cut section ran between the Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works and a point northwest of Fern (NGR: SU 8810 8890) for a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometres. This section required archaeological monitoring and is hereafter referred to throughout the report as ‘the pipeline’. Additional archaeological monitoring was undertaken on works at both Sewage Treatment Works, the contractors compound and the access road. The remaining 3.2km of the pipeline was tunnelled from the compound at NGR: SU 8810 8890 to the High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works and did not require archaeological monitoring. 2.2 South of the A4155 the route crossed the Spade Quarry Landfill site and followed the route defined on Figure 2 to the Little Marlow STW. 2.3 The pipeline route was subject of an Environmental Impact Assessment, which included an archaeological component. This information is summarised here. The assessment has identified no known archaeological or historic sites that would be directly affected by the pipeline, although the pipeline traverses an area an area © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording that has not been the subject of previous archaeological fieldwork. The route itself lies within an area of archaeological potential. 2.4 Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic artefacts have been recorded from the general vicinity, as well as Bronze Age and Iron Age sites and finds. Roman, medieval and post-medieval activity is also known. Gravel extraction at the Marlow Quarry (Site 6146) revealed deposits and features relating to Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age activity. The most significant finding was evidence for Bronze Age stream-side activity in the form of burnt stone spreads. Neolithic and Roman artefacts have also been recovered east of Little Marlow STW (Site Nos. 2897 and 4666). 2.5 A geophysical survey of the area was undertaken by GSB in 2002. This highlighted a very limited potential for archaeological features within the study area. Potential features were identified in survey blocks 1C, 1F and 2. The features in block 1F fell entirely outside the pipeline easement, while only a single possible ditch in block 1C fell within the observed area. A small concentration of anomalies was noted in block 2. These were interpreted as being of potential archaeological origin. The report concluded that interpretation of features as being of archaeological origin was tentative and that alternative origins should be considered equally likely. 3 AIMS 3.1 The aims of the archaeological monitoring were to gather high quality data from the direct observation of archaeological deposits in order to provide sufficient information to establish the nature, extent, preservation and potential of any surviving archaeological remains. 3.2 These aims were to be achieved by the pursuit of the following specific objectives as stated in the Project Design (Foundations Archaeology 2003). i) to define, identify and record any archaeological deposits on site, and date these where possible. ii) to attempt to characterise the nature of the archaeological sequence and recover as much information as possible about the spatial patterning of features present on the site. iii) where possible to recover a well dated stratigraphic sequence and recover coherent artefact, ecofact and environmental samples. © Foundations Archaeology HWS03.fa.wb 109 Albion Street, Swindon SN1 5LP Tel/Fax 08700 780 555/01793 529403 email: [email protected] High Wycombe Sewage Treatment Works: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording 4 METHODOLOGY 4.1 The compound, access road and an easement of c.30m width were topsoil stripped across the entire study area under appropriate archaeological supervision (Figure 2). Minor works at the Sewage Treatment Works were also observed. Archaeological features identified were excavated in accordance with the Project Design (2003). Discrete features were initially half-sampled and were subsequently excavated to 100%. Pipe trenching was undertaken under watching brief conditions as specified in the Project Design. Spoil tips were scanned for unstratified finds across the entire study area. 4.2 Palaeoenvironmental samples were taken from all features excavated. Processing of these samples revealed no evidence for charred cereals, molluscs or either categories of environmentally significant material. No suitable contexts were present for scientific dating. 5 RESULTS 5.1 The project ran without significant problems.