New Golf Course, ,

An Archaeological Watching Brief

For Luddington Investments Ltd

by Clare A Challis

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code SOL 01/26

November 2002 Summary

Site name: New Golf Course, Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire

Grid reference: SU 6870 5680

Site activity: Watching Brief

Date and duration of project: 4th May – 6th August 2001

Project manager: Steve Ford

Site supervisor: John Saunders/Clare Challis

Site code: SOL 01/26

Area of site: c. 150ha

Summary of results: No archaeological features were identified

Monuments identified: None

Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held by Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading, , RG1 5NR. It is anticipated that the archive will be deposited with Hampshire Museum Service in due course.

This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder

Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford9 8.11.02 Steve Preston9 14.11.02

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New Golf Course, Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire An Archaeological Watching Brief

by Clare A Challis

Report 01/26

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological watching brief carried out at New Golf Course, Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire (SU 6870 5680) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Roy Horton, Luddington

Investments Limited, 1 Southward Lane, Aldbourne, Wiltshire SN8 2DF.

Planning permission for construction of the new golf course was granted by and Deane

Borough Council, subject to a condition relating to archaeology, requiring a watching brief to take place during groundworks and landscaping. This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy

Guidance, Archaeology and Planning (PPG16 1990), and the Borough’s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr Ian Wykes, County Archaeologist at Hampshire

County Council. The fieldwork was undertaken by John Saunders and Clare Challis between 4th May and 6th

August 2001 and the site code is SOL 01/26.

Location, topography and geology

The site is located on an area of land bordered by the A33, Reading to Basingstoke Road to the west, and

Wildmoor Lane to the east, and lies to the south-east of Sherfield on Loddon village. The River Loddon passes the site to the north and forms part of the northern boundary of the development (Fig. 1). The underlying geology is London Clay (BGS 1981), confirmed on site. The site lies at approximately 75m above Ordnance Datum.

Archaeological background

A number of sites of archaeological interest surround the area of Sherfield on Loddon possibly due to the presence of the river which may account for the abundance of moated sites in the locality, Sherfield Court and

Lance Levy Farm being examples. An Iron Age hillfort lies to the north-west of the development area at

Bullsdown Copse (SU 670 584) the only example of its kind in the Loddon Valley. A fieldwalking survey of the area, conducted along the Hampshire section of the River Loddon, included one field within the boundaries of the development between Buckfield Copse and Bramble Copse (SU 684 566) (Weaver and Bellamy 1995). A cluster of later Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flints indicated the presence of a flint scatter site appearing to extend

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into nearby Bramble Copse. Other finds included one sherd each of Bronze Age and Roman pottery and four sherds of medieval pottery.

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the watching brief was to observe and record any archaeological deposits exposed during the groundworks associated with the construction of the new golf course.

Results

The groundwork involved stripping and landscaping of areas for the creation of bunkers, fairways and tees. The stripping was carried out using bulldozers and box scrapers and did not use machines fitted with back actors. The stripping did not take place under archaeological supervision. Consequently, the exposed surfaces were rarely of a standard conducive to the recognition of archaeological deposits or finds.

Area 1 (Fig. 2) was viewed on the first visit and encompassed the practice ground, 18th tee and fairway in the northernmost part of the site. A large area of ground had been stripped to subsoil levels but not necessarily down to the level of the natural geology where archaeological deposits are most easily recognized. The area was systematically searched (fieldwalked) to establish the presence of archaeological features or finds. Occasional fragments of burnt flint were noted; however no features or other finds were identified.

Area 2 (Fig. 2) was examined on a later visit and again the stripped area was systematically searched.

Occasional fragments of burnt flint were also noted here. This area also incorporated the area of the flint scatter identified during the earlier fieldwalking but no finds of struck flint were observed. No archaeological features were identified.

Conclusion

On this project, field conditions were unsuitable for the recognition of subsoil archaeological deposits and the recovery of artefacts. Consequently no archaeological finds or features were identified on the site.

References BGS, 1981, British Geological Survey, 1:50,000, Sheet 284, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Weaver, S and Bellamy, R, 1995, ‘Loddon Valley (Hampshire) fieldwalking survey 1994/95’, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 94/1, Reading PPG 16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO

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Flint scatter

Future use

Future use

SU68000 69000 SOL01/26 Sherfield on Loddon Golf Course, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 2001

Figure 1. Location of site within Sherfield on Loddon and Hampshire.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1204 SU65/75 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence AL52324A0001 N

SOL01/26 Sherfield on Loddon Golf Course, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 2001

Figure 2. Proposed and future layout of course.

(Not to scale) New Golf Course, Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire 2001

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Wild moor Lane

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0 1km Figure 3. Location of areas observed during watching brief. SOL 01/26