Caddington Care Village Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Bedfordshire
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Caddington Care Village Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Bedfordshire Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-pit Evaluation for Emsrayne Ltd CA Project: 661209 CA Report: 18562 Luton Culture Entry No: LTNMG 1346 December 2018 Caddington Care Village Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Bedfordshire Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-pit Evaluation CA Project: 661209 CA Report: 18562 Luton Culture Entry No: LTNMG 1346 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 01/11/2018 AW; AKM APS DRAFT Internal review APS 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. © Cotswold Archaeology Caddington Care Village, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Beds: © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-Pit Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................. 4 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................... 9 4. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 10 5. ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRIAL TRENCHING RESULTS (FIGS 2-5)....................... 12 6. GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST-PIT RESULTS (FIGS 2, 6) .............................. 13 7. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 13 8. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 14 9. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 14 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 15 APPENDIX B: GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST-PIT RESULTS ..................................... 16 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM ........................................................................... 33 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological trenches and geoarchaeological test- pits, as well as geophysical survey results (1:2000) Fig. 3 General site photographs Fig. 4 Trenches 2 & 5: Photographs Fig. 5 Trenches 7 & 10: Photographs Fig. 6 Test Pits 1 & 2: Photographs 1 Caddington Care Village, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Beds: © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-Pit Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Caddington Care Village Location: Cotswold Business Park, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Beds NGR: 505590 218692 Type: Evaluation Date: 29-31 October 2018 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Luton Culture (the Wardown Park Museum) Luton Culture Entry No: LTNMG 1346 Site Code: CML 18 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October 2018 at Cotswold Business Park, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Bedfordshire, in connection with proposals for the construction of an integrated care village on the site. The proposed development site is of some archaeological potential, with remains of Palaeolithic date recovered from solution hollows, known as dolines, in the underlying Clay- with-Flints geology of the area. In addition, remains of prehistoric and later date are recorded from the wider vicinity. A preceding multi-technique geophysical survey of the development area identified two possible doline features and a number of anomalies of possible archaeological origin including a curvilinear feature suggestive of a small enclosure or ring-ditch. Ten archaeological trenches and two geoarchaeological test-pits were excavated within the proposed 3.74ha development area. Despite the archaeological potential of the application area the trial trenches and geoarchaeological test-pits identified no archaeological remains or dolines. Brick-earth deposits associated with dolines such as those found to the north and north-east of the site do not extend into the site area. Strong magnetometer readings within the site may instead be attributed to geological variations such as silt or gravel patches, or variable iron contents within the Clay-with-Flints geology. 2 Caddington Care Village, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Beds: © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-Pit Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In October 2018 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Emsrayne Ltd at Cotswold Business Park, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Bedfordshire (centred at NGR 505590 218692 – Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany a forthcoming planning application for the development of the site, to comprise an integrated care village of up to 200 residential units (Class C2) with ancillary community and service space, garden and leisure areas, car parking areas and circulation space, internal access ways and ancillary landscaping. 1.2 Pre-application consultation with the Central Bedfordshire Council Archaeologist (CBCA; Martin Oake), in their role as archaeological advisor to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), identified that the proposed development site is situated in an area of archaeological interest, known to contain remains of Palaeolithic date. A programme of archaeological investigation was consequently requested by the CBCA, in order to support the forthcoming application and determine the presence or absence and significance of any heritage assets of archaeological interest that are present and the likely impact of the proposed development upon that significance. It was subsequently advised by the CBCA that a Heritage Statement should be produced for the application site, supported by the results of a geophysical survey, comprising fluxgate magnetometer survey and electromagnetic induction (Magnitude Surveys 2018) and a targeted programme of trial trenching and geoarchaeological test-pitting. 1.3 The scope of works was determined through discussions between CA and the CBCA, and a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) subsequently produced by CA (2018), informed by the preceding Heritage Statement (CA 2018) and geophysical survey (Magnitude Surveys 2018), and approved by the CBCA. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and guidance for archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), Standards for Field Archaeology in the East of England (Gurney, 2003) the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE): Project Planning Note 3 (English Heritage 2008), the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (EH 2006). It was monitored by the CBCA, including a site visit on 31 October 2018. 3 Caddington Care Village, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Central Beds: © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological Trial Trench and Geoarchaeological Test-Pit Evaluation The site 1.4 The proposed development area measures approximately 3.74ha, and is currently in use as a business park and domestic garden belonging to Millfield House. The site is located c. 230m southwest of the village of Caddington; it is bounded to the west by Millfield Lane, to the north and east by arable fields, and to the south by a field containing solar panels. 1.5 The geology within the site comprises chalk of the Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation and Seaford Chalk Formation, overlain by a drift geology of Clay-with-flints formation comprising clay, silt, sand and gravel deposits (BGS 2018). Thin deposits of brickearth have been identified elsewhere in the vicinity of the site with these deposits shown to ‘actually represent the separate infillings of individual funnel- or basin- shaped dolines: hollows, usually formed through dissolution and collapse of the Chalk, that are often associated with swallow-holes’ (White 1997, 914). These doline features have the potential to contain archaeological and palaeoenvironmental material of Palaeolithic date. The soils within the site are slightly acid loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage (Cranfield Soilscapes 2018). 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 A Heritage Statement (CA 2018) had previously been prepared for the site and further details regarding the landscape, historical and archaeological background to the wider area in which it is situated can be found therein. A geophysical survey of all available land within the proposed development area has also been undertaken (Magnitude Surveys 2018). A summary of the information contained in these reports is presented below. Lower Palaeolithic (c. 500,000 – 70,000 years ago) 2.2 Between 1887 and 1916, significant assemblages of worked flint implements were found buried in thin horizons of brick-earth recorded within seven extraction pits at Caddington, c. 300m north and north-east of the site, four of which are located within the Study Area for the Heritage Statement. Pit C, the closest to the site, appears to have been the most prolific: yielding ovate handaxes, borers, disc scrapers, fabricators, trimmed flakes and cores. Artefacts such as