Land at Hengrove Park Bristol

LAND AT HENGROVE PARK BRISTOL

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

CA PROJECT: 1953 CA REPORT: 05072

Author: Allen Wright

Approved: Simon Cox

Signed: …………………………………………………………….

Issue: 01 Date: 28 APRIL 2005

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.

Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

CONTENTS

SUMMARY...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

The site ...... 3 Archaeological background...... 3 Archaeological objectives ...... 4 Methodology ...... 4

2. RESULTS ...... 5

Trench 6...... 5

3. DISCUSSION...... 5

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 6

5. REFERENCES ...... 6

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...... 7

APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES...... 8

APPENDIX 3: TRENCH CO-ORDINATES ...... 8

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:5000)

1 Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

SUMMARY

Site Name: Land at Hengrove Park Location: Bristol NGR: ST 5954 6847 Type: Evaluation Date: 21-25 April 2005 Planning Reference: 05/00461/PB/S Location of Archive: To be deposited with Bristol Museum Site Code: HGB 05

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in April 2005 at Hengrove Park, Bristol. In compliance with an approved Written Scheme of Investigation, six trenches were excavated across the development area.

No archaeological features or finds were present within the trenches. The results of the evaluation suggest that the archaeological remains, had they been present within the site, would have been removed by the construction activity associated with the creation of the airfield of Whitchurch Airport in the 1930s.

2 Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In April 2005 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Arup, (on behalf of Bristol City Council) at Hengrove Park Bristol (centred on NGR: ST 59540 68470; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken prior to determination of a planning application (ref 05/00461/PB/S) for redevelopment of an informal open space to create a mixed-use development with new public amenity space.

1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological recording (BCC 2005) prepared by Mr Robert Jones, City Archaeologist, Bristol City Council and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2005). This was approved by Mr Jones. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999). It was monitored by Mr Peter Insole, Archaeological Officer, Bristol City Council, including a site visit on 22 April 2005.

The site

1.3 The proposed redevelopment area encloses approximately 76ha, and comprises a large open area bounded by Hengrove Way to the north, Whitchurch Lane to the west and Bamfield and associated residential properties to the east (Fig.1). The proposed development site also includes the athletics track in the south-east corner of the park but excludes the new leisure complex in the northern part of the park (BCC 2005).The site lies at approximately 59.5m above Ordnance Datum (m AOD), with the ground dropping away to the west.

Archaeological background

1.4 Archaeological interest in the site arises from the identification of Roman remains within 1-2km of the site, including settlement evidence discovered and excavated at Filwood Park during landscaping works in 1982 (Williams 1983). The excavation revealed 2nd to 4th-century AD remains, including stone-founded buildings, and the excavator considered it likely that Roman occupation extended to the south and southeast towards Hengrove Park. Roman material has also been recovered immediately east of the park from the locality of houses fronting Bamfield. In

3 Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

addition, excavations at Inns Court, approximately 600m to the north-west of Hengrove Park, recorded evidence of Late Iron Age occupation as well as the foundations of Roman buildings constructed in the late 3rd-century AD and occupied until the mid 4th-century AD (Jackson 1999).

1.5 Settlement at Whitchurch (also known as ‘Filton’) is recorded at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, and the area appears to have been farmed during the medieval period. It remained agricultural land until the creation of Whitchurch Airport on the site in the 1930s. The former airport runway survives within the centre of the park. Archaeological investigations prior to construction of the leisure centre in the northern part of the park (BaRAS 1994, 1995; Curtis 1997; Stansbie & Curtis 1997) recorded twentieth-century landscaping that had removed any earlier archaeology from the majority of the northern area. A desk-based assessment concluded, however, that the eastern part of the site, adjoining Bamfield, had a high potential for surviving Romano-British remains, and noted the presence of a crop mark south of the runway on an air photograph of the site taken in the 1940s (BaRAS 1997).

Archaeological objectives

1.6 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 Bristol City Council in making an informed judgement on the likely impact upon the archaeological resource by the proposed development.

Methodology

1.7 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of six trenches. (Trenches 1 to 3 each measuring 15m x 2.5 and trenches 4 to 6 each measuring 15m x 1.5m) in the locations indicated on Figure 2.

1.8 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

4 Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996).

1.9 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive (including artefacts) will be deposited with Bristol City Museum.

2. RESULTS (FIGS 1 & 2)

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 and features expressed as metres above Ordnance Datum (m AOD) appear in Appendix 2 and Ordnance Survey co-ordinates for the trenches can be found in Appendix 3.

2.2 No archaeological features or deposits were identified or finds recovered from trenches 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. A broadly similar stratigraphic sequence was identified in each of these trenches. Between 0.15m and 0.3m of mid grey-brown topsoil overlay a light greyish-yellow natural clay (see Appendix 1 for details).

Trench 6 2.3 Natural clay 604 was sealed by buried topsoil 603. This deposit was sealed by layer 602, consisting of 0.3m of re-deposited topsoil, subsoil and natural clay with frequent inclusions of brick and stone. All deposits were sealed by modern topsoil 601.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 Despite the apparent archaeological potential of the site (see archaeological background above) no archaeological remains were present. The absence of subsoil and ploughsoil within trenches 1 to 5, and the thin nature of the covering topsoil, suggests the site was levelled prior to the construction of the airfield of Whitchurch Airport. A similar sequence was present within trench 6, and the overlying rubble and topsoil may have resulted from construction of a nearby housing estate at a later date.

5 Land at Hengrove Park, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

3.2 The construction of the airfield appears likely to have removed any archaeological remains formerly present, as witnessed during previous archaeological investigations (see archaeological background above), and therefore the site would appear to have very low archaeological potential.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Tim Havard, assisted by Andrew Loader, Emily King and Allen Wright. The report was written by Allen Wright. The illustrations were prepared by Lorna Gray. The archive has been compiled by Tim Havard, and prepared for deposition by Ed McSloy. The project was managed for CA by Simon Cox.

5. REFERENCES

BCC 2005 Hengrove Park, Bristol (NGR ST 59540 68470) Brief for Archaeological Field Evaluation

Bristol and Region Archaeological Services (BaRAS) 1994 Archaeological Desktop Study of Hengrove Park, Whitchurch, Bristol. Unpublished BaRAS Report BA/C074

Bristol and Region Archaeological Services (BaRAS) 1995 Archaeological Evaluation at Hengrove Park, Whitchurch, Bristol. Unpublished BaRAS Report BA/D216

Curtis, R 1997 Hengrove Park (Whitchurch Airport), Bristol. Unpublished Avon Archaeological Unit report

Jackson, R.G 1999 An interim report on the excavations at Inns Court, Bristol, 1997-1999, Bristol and Avon Archaeology, 16, 51-60

Stansbie, D & Curtis, R 1997 Hengrove Park Watching Brief. Unpublished Avon Archaeological Unit Report

Williams, R.G.J, 1983 Romano-British settlement at Filwood Park, Bristol, Bristol and Avon Archaeology, 2, 12-20

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench 1

101 Topsoil: mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.3m deep 102 Natural: Mottled light greyish-yellow clay

Trench 2

200 Topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.15m deep 201 Natural: Mottled light greyish-yellow clay

Trench 3

301 Topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.3m deep 302 Natural: Mottled light greyish-yellow clay

Trench 4

401 Topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.28m deep 402 Natural :mottled light greyish-yellow clay

Trench 5

500 Topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.2m deep 501 Natural: Mottled light greyish-yellow clay

Trench 6 601 Topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.3m deep 602 Mixed ground make up. 50% re-deposited topsoil, 25% re-deposited natural and 25% brick and stone rubble. 0.3m deep 603 Buried topsoil: Mid grey-brown soft silty clay 0.2m deep 604 Natural: Mottled light greyish-yellow clay

APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES

Levels are expressed as metres below current ground level and as metres above Ordnance Datum, calculated using the benchmark located at 33 Creswicke Road, Hengrove (57.08m AOD).

Trench 1 Trench 2 Trench 3 Trench 4 Trench 5 Trench 6 Current ground level 0.00m 0.00m 0.00m 0.00m 0.00m 0.00m (52.85m) (55.32m) (56.11m) (59.25m) (58.39m) (58.26m) Limit of excavation 1.08m 0.57m 0.05m 0.28m 0.21m 1.24m (51.77m) (54.75m) (56.06m) (58.97m) (58.18m) (57.02m)

Upper figures are depth below modern ground level, lower figures in parentheses are metres AOD.

APPENDIX 3: TRENCH CO-ORDINATES

Trench No. NGR sheet Easting Northing 1 ST 59299 68382 ST 59302 68382 ST 59301 68367 ST 59298 68367 2 ST 59278 68244 ST 59293 68243 ST 59293 68240 ST 59278 68242 3 ST 59422 68327 ST 59424 68327 ST 59422 68312 ST 59420 68313 4 ST 59407 68153 ST 59422 68150 ST 59421 68149 ST 59407 68151 5 ST 59587 68383 ST 59602 68381 ST 59602 68380 ST 59587 68382 6 ST 60089 68342 ST 60104 68340 ST 60104 68338 ST 60089 68341