Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire

TVAS

EAST MIDLANDS

Archaeological Watching Brief

by Joshua Hargreaves

Site Code: GWH18/178

(TL 2305 1629 ) Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire

An Archaeological Watching Brief

For Netherdown (Herts) Ltd

By Joshua Hargreaves

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code GWH 18/178

March 2020 Summary

Site name: Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire

Grid reference: TL 2305 1629

Site activity: Watching Brief

Date and duration of project: 3rd to 10th February 2020

Project coordinator: Steve Ford

Site supervisor: Joshua Hargreaves

Site code: GWH 18/178

Area of site: c.700 sq m

Summary of results: Archaeological monitoring of groundworks revealed evidence of the earliest phase of construction of Guessens. Post-medieval made ground was identified above and below these structural deposits, but earlier archaeological deposits were not observed.

Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Mill Green Museum in due course.

This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp.

Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 11.03.20 Steve Preston 11.03.20

i TVAS East Midlands, 4 Bentley Court, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 4BQ Tel: (01933) 277 377, Email: [email protected], Website: www.tvas.co.uk/eastmidlands Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire An Archaeological Watching Brief

By Joshua Hargreaves

Report 18/178

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological watching brief carried out at Guessens, 6 Codicote Road,

Welwyn, Hertfordshire (TL 2305 1635) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Josh Roughan of

Netherdown (Herts) Ltd, Contract House, 58 Bridge Road East, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 1JU.

Planning permission (6/2018/3140/FULL) and listed building consent (6/2018/3141/LB): was approved by

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council to refurbish a grade II listed building, remove a modern extension and build new extensions.

The consent is subject to a condition which requires the implementation of a programme of archaeological work, in accordance with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s National Planning

Policy Framework (NPPF 2018) and the District’s policies on archaeology. It was determined that the field work would take the form of a watching brief; which would monitor ground reduction and the digging of foundation trenches for the new extensions. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Borough

Council as advised by Hertfordshire County Archaeology Office.

The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Dr Simon Wood, Historic

Environment Advisor for Hertfordshire County Council, the adviser to the Borough Council on matters pertaining to planning and the historic environment. The fieldwork was undertaken by Joshua Hargreaves between 3rd and 10th February 2020, with the site code is GWH18/178. The archive is presently held at TVAS

East Midlands, Wellingborough and will be deposited with Mill Green Museum in due course.

Location, topography and geology

The site is located in the historic town of Welwyn immediately west of the parish church (Fig. 1). Guessens is a two-storey townhouse with a substantial garden and outbuildings, fronting the west side of Codicote Road (Fig.

2). The garden of the property is a 0.8ha space sloping down to the banks of the River Mimram. The property is situated c.69m above Ordnance Datum (OD), but with the slope down to the river, the west of the site is substantially lower. A building to the south has been recently demolished, levelling a single-story extension. The

1 underlying geology is mapped as Kesgrave Catchment sand and gravel, with a band of alluvium from the river in the west (BGS 1978). The geology observed in the trenches was compact sand and gravel.

Archaeological background

The site lies within the historic core of Welwyn with the parish church of St Mary's (Grade II), c.20m to the south-east (Pl. 8). The site lies in an Area of Archaeological Significance concerned with multiphase aspects of the historic setting, specifically a substantial late Iron Age and Roman settlement, with richly equipped burials

(Niblett 1995, 17-19), as well as medieval and later settlement. (Thompson 2002). Guessens itself is a grade II listed building (158575) and is of 17th century or earlier date and remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Iron Age occupation areas are known up to 3km from the site, through Middle Iron Age cremation vessels and furbished 'chieftain' burial found at Panshanger in 1965. A roadside settlement emerged after the Roman

Conquest, on the road between Verulamium (St.Albans) and Braughing, projected to pass below the church to the south-east (Thompson 2002, fig. 2). Evidence of Roman occupation is known widely around the core of

Welwyn, including a high status building 150m to the west and other deposits covering an area of some density between the Rivers Mimram and Lea (Nibblett 1995, 61). At The Grange, in 1908, a kiln site, one of a number known locally and separately 150 cinerary urns of differing fabric were also found. These finds were an indication of wealth of burial at this location that has since been indicated north of the churchyard boundary.

Further burials found at the Grange have hint at a Roman and early-Anglo-Saxon cemetery here (Thompson

2002).

A documented Minster church is possibly earlier than its first document referring King Eadwig of Wessex

(AD955–9) (Williamson 2010, 134). A settlement is recorded in Domesday Book (1086) ‘Welge’, split between four estates, the rectory manor held by the priest for Edward the Confessor (AD1042-1066) (Thompson 2002).

Through the medieval period, the village serviced the Great North Road, with a farm located at the site of

Guessens in the north-west of the late medieval settlement (Thompson 2002, fig.4). It is possible it served as the rectory by 1749, for Dr Edward Young (1683-1765) when he gained the college living as rector of the parish from King George II. The stables, to the north, have recently been converted to a residence and during these works archaeological evaluation discovered buried structural remains and a yard surface over a deep layer of made ground. The structure was said to be part of an extension of a 19th-century building, that historic mapping shows existed between 1837 and 1881, though likely demolished by the early 20th century (Pozorski and Higgs

2012).

2 Objectives and methodology

The aim of the watching brief was to excavate and record any archaeological deposits affected by the ground works. This comprised the removal of overburden and the digging of trenches for foundations and services. All ground reduction and stripping would be monitored under constant archaeological supervision. All discrete features would be investigated if accessible.

Results

All foundation trenches were dug using a 360° mechanical excavator fitted with a toothed bucket, with trenches

0.6m or 0.45m wide to varying depths. Due to depth and the sandy nature of the overburden, many of the trench sides collapsed during excavation, making some wider than originally planned, between 0.7m and 1.2m, particularly in Plot 2. The foundation trenches were excavated and concreted in stages.

Plot 1 (Figs 3-4, Pls 1, 2)

Plot 1 concern observation of the new NW extension of the core building. The footings were dug to a depth of

1.6m. The stratigraphy observed consisted of 0.5m of made ground, mixed clay with modern finds and building material, overlying 1.1m of the natural geology, compact gravel and sand. No archaeological deposits were observed.

Plot 2 (Figs 3-5, Pls 3-8)

Plot 2 consisted of building footings to the SW of the core building (Fig. 3), forming the foundations of a large extension. The footings were dug to a width of 0.6m and between 1.6m and 2m in depth depending on the stability of the sides. The area of plot 2 was covered in a made ground (59) up to 0.6m thick consisting of loose concrete and modern brick building rubble from a demolished bungalow. Across the majority of the monitored area layer 59 was overlying levelling layer 57 which varied between 0.2m and 0.6m in thickness and overlay the natural geology.

In the SE corner of Plot 2, a brick floor (layer 56) and wall foundations (53 and 55) of an early outbuilding of Guessens (Fig 3, 4 and 5, Pls 4-6) below modern made ground layer 59. The foundations consisted of a brick floor area (56) 2.35m by 2.37m with internal partition walls (54, and 55) and external wall (53) in the south east corner of this area. Internal wall 54 was only exposed in the SE section of the foundation trench (Figs 4 and 5)

3 and was 0.25m high with 3 courses of red brick, forming the NE side of the exposed post medieval foundations.

External wall 53 formed the Northern limit of the exposed foundations; it had a width of 0.3m and 3 surviving courses of redbrick. Internal Partition wall 55 was exposed as 0.55m in length and 0.3m wide, with a height of

0.25m composed of 3 courses of redbrick, this partition wall stopped in the foundation trench forming the

Eastern part of a door way. All these walls were built using a stretcher bond. Both the floor and internal walls were built using un-frogged red brick dated between 1700 and 1850 and similar in appearance and dimensions to the building materials observed on the earliest phases of construction of the main house in the 1700s. The foundations overlay levelling deposit 57. Deposit 52 was found on the side of the entrance way half exposed in the foundation trench at the SW end of internal wall 55 (fig 5). The deposited contained large amounts of clinker.

Deposit 57 (Fig 4) was observed covering most of Plot 2. It was compact clayey silt with large amounts of gravel inclusions, lying directly above the natural geology of compact sand and gravel, and was recorded in multiple footing sections. It was observed as a minimum of 15m in length, 5m in width and 0.2m to 0.6m in depth. The extent of deposit 57 stretches beyond the original footprint of Guessens, halted 5m SW of the existing building and extended 15m from the South of the building underlying the brick structure observed. Despite yielding no finds, the function of this deposit appears to be levelling the naturally sloped topography to create a terrace for Guessens house and it’s out buildings and gardens.

Feature 1 (Fig 3, Pl. 7) was observed in the section of the building footings in plot 2, 2.4m NE of the SW corner of the footings, it was recorded as 0.8m deep and 1.9m wide with dark blackish grey clayey silt fill (58).

It was observed cutting levelling deposit 57 dating the feature later than the original construction of Guessens.

No finds were recovered from the fill and the exact date and purpose of the feature is unknown. A humic fill (58) was suggestive it was of modern domestic use.

Conclusion

The watching brief has uncovered deposits of post-medieval date. In Plot 2, buried structural remains were uncovered in the form of walls (53, 54, 55), and a floor (56) but can only be roughly dated by the bricks to between 1700 and 1850. Below these was a levelling layer (57) which overlay the natural geology. Documented landscaping for the building of Guessens gives the obvious context for this, but it is possible that the terracing could have been earlier. Terracing could have truncated earlier archaeological features if any had been present; though the small area of the works limited access to the lowest layer exposed. A single undated feature 1 was identified cutting levelling layer 57 with no finds.

4 The lack of a soil profile in the footings of Plot 1, with modern made ground directly over the natural geology, also suggests truncation. No archaeological deposits were recorded in this area.

No archaeological evidence concerning the area of archaeological significance relating to the substantial late Iron Age and Roman settlement or activity of other periods was identified.

References CgMs, 2018,’Guessens House, Built-Heritage Statement’, CgMs Heritage client doc (JCH0552), London BGS, 1978, British Geological Survey, 1:50 000, Sheet 239, Drift Edition, Keyworth Nibblett, R, 1995, ‘Roman Hertfordshire’, Dovecote Press Ltd, Wimborne Pozorski, Z and Higgs, K, 2012, ‘Former Stable Yard, Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, an archaeological evaluation’, Archaeological Solutions, rep 3981, Hertford NPPF, 2018, National Planning Policy Framework, (revised) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmentt, London Thompson, I, 2002, Welwyn: Extensive Urban Survey Project Assessment, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertford

5 APPENDIX 1

HERTFORDSHIRE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD SUMMARY SHEET

Site name and address:

Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn

County: Hertfordshire District: Welwyn Hatfield Borough Village/Town: Welwyn Parish: Chruch of St. Mary’s Planning application reference: 6/2018/3140/FULL HER Enquiry reference: n/a Funding source: Commercial Nature of application: Approved

Present land use: Modern Extension (to be demolished) Size of application area: : c.700 sq m Size of area investigated: c.700 sq m NGR (to 8 figures minimum): TL 2305 1629 Site code (if applicable): GWH18-178 Site director/Organization: Josh Hargreaves/ Thames Valley Archaeological Services Type of work: Watching Brief (Monitoring of Foundation Trenching) Date of work: February 2020 Start: 3/02/2020 Finish: 10/02/2020 Location of finds & site archive/Curating museum: n/a

Related HER Nos: n/a Periods represented: Post-Medieval/Modern Relevant previous summaries/reports

AS 2011, Former Stable Yard, Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, an archaeological evaluation, Archaeological Solutions, report 3981, Hertford Summary of fieldwork results:

Archaeological monitoring of groundworks revealed evidence of the earliest phase of construction of Guessens. Post-medieval made ground was identified above and below these structural deposits, but earlier archaeological deposits were not observed.

Author of summary: Joshua Hargreaves Date of summary: 12/03/2020

Baldock

Letchworth SITE Hitchin

Stevenage Bishop’s Stortford

Ware Hemel Hertford Hempstead St Albans

Watford Rickmansworth 17

17 17000

SITE 16

16 16000

TL23000 GWH 18/178 15 15 Land at Guessens, Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief Figure 1. Location of site within Welwyn and Hertfordshire.

22 23 24 Reproduced under licence from Ordnance Survey Explorer Digital mapping at 1:12500 Crown Copyright reserved 16400

SITE

Listed building Grade II*)

16300

TL23000 23100

GWH 18/178 N Land at Guessens, Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief Figure 2. Detailed location of site off Codicote Road.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping under licence. Crown copyright reserved. Scale 1:1250 16350

No.8 Little Guessens

The Grange No.3

C O D I C O T E

No.1

R Plot 1 O A D

16300 Guessens No.6

Plot 2

detail-fig 5

1 St Mary's Church (Grade II)

No.2 No.2

No.3

E E LAN FORG

TL23050 23100 GWH 18/178

N Guessens, Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief

Figure 3. Location of observed areas.

0 25m Plot 2

N S 68.5maOD

Mixed overburden (modern)

Natural geology

Plot 2; Brickwork (Walls, 53, 54, 55, and floor 56)

NW SE

59 68.33m

54 55 53 56 56

Natural Geology

Plot 1, Representative Section Plot 2 Representative section

Mixed Clay and Rubble (Made ground) Layer 59

Layer 57 Natural Geology

Natural geology

GWH 18/178 Gueseens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching brief

Figure 4. Sections and repersentative sections.

0 1m 57

projected?

sec-Fig.4

Demolished Modern Wall

GWH 18/178

N Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief

Figure 5. Plan of exposed brickwork in Plot 2.

0 1m Plate 1. Plot 1, looking North, Scale: 2m.

Plate 2. Plot 1, looking East, Scales: 2m and 1m.

GWH 18/178 Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020, Archaeological Watching Brief Plates 1 and 2. Plate 3. Plot 2, looking South, Scale: 2m.

Plate 4. Plot 2 Floor 56, looking East, Scales: 1m and 0.5m.

GWH 18/178 Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief Plates 3 and 4. Plate 5. Brick Foundation, looking North, Scales: 1m and 0.2m.

Plate 6. Brick Foundation, looking East, Scales: 0.5m and 0.2m. GFG 18/178 Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief Plates 5 and 6. Plate 7. Feature 1, looking E,ast Scales: 2m and 1m.

Plate 8. Plot 2 Overview looking North featuring Parish Church

GWH 18/178 Guessens, 6 Codicote Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, 2020 Archaeological Watching Brief Plates 7 and 8. TIME CHART

Calendar Years

Modern AD 1901

Victorian AD 1837

Post Medieval AD 1500

Medieval AD 1066

Saxon AD 410

Roman AD 43 AD 0 BC Iron Age 750 BC

Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC

Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC

Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC

Neolithic: Late 3300 BC

Neolithic: Early 4300 BC

Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC

Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC

Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC

Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC

Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC TVAS (East Midlands), 4 Bentley Court, Wellingborough Northamptonshire, NN8 4BQ

Tel: 01933 277 377 Email: [email protected] Web: www.tvas.co.uk/eastmidlands

Offices in: Reading, Brighton, Taunton and Stoke-on-Trent