Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex

T H A M E S V A L L E Y AARCHAEOLOGICALRCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S S O U T H Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex Building Recording by Sean Wallis Site Code: OFC12/08 (TQ 6850 1703) Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex Building Recording For Mr and Mrs J Wallace by Sean Wallis Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code OFC 12/08 March 2012 Summary Site name: Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex Grid reference: TQ 6850 1703 Site activity: Building Recording Date and duration of project: January to March 2012 Project manager: Sean Wallis Project supervisor: Sean Wallis Site code: OFC 12/08 Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Battle Museum 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 Preston9 26.04.12 i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 77a Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton, BN1 7HB Tel. (01273) 554198; Fax (01273) 564043; email [email protected]; website : www.tvas.co.uk Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex Building Recording by Sean Wallis Report 12/08 Introduction This report documents the results of building recording at Old Furnace Cottage, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex (TQ 6850 1703) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by the owners of the property, Mr and Mrs J Wallace. Planning permissions (RR/2010/1718/P and RR/2011/1485/P) have been gained from Rother District Council to construct new extensions and carry out various alterations to an existing cottage. The permissions are subject to standard conditions relating to archaeology, which require the implementation of a programme of archaeological work prior to the commencement of any building work. The site is within an Archaeological Notification Area, due to the presence of a former ironworks close by. The remains of the ironworks, which was known as Ashburnham Furnace, are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The cottage is located immediately to the south of the boundary of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. Mr Greg Chuter, Assistant County Archaeologist with East Sussex County Council, has indicated that two distinct elements of work were required to satisfy the planning conditions. These entail building recording of the house prior to the commencement of building work, and an archaeological watching brief to be carried out during groundworks in respect of the new extensions. This report is solely concerned with the building recording, which was carried out in accordance with a written scheme of investigation approved by Mr Chuter. A separate report will detail the results of the watching brief. This is in accordance with and guided by PPS5 (2010) and the District Council’s policies on the historic environment. The fieldwork was undertaken by Sean Wallis between January and March 2012, and the site code is OFC 12/08. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Battle Museum and a copy of the report sent to the National Monuments Record in due course. Location, topography and geology The site is located in the High Weald, about 5km west of Battle, East Sussex. The surrounding area is characterized by undulating ridges and small valleys, and by isolated farms and small settlements such as Ponts 1 Green, Brownbread Street and Penhurst. The site itself lies within a narrow valley, which has been heavily landscaped in the past to provide the various ponds that were vital to the iron industry which once flourished in the area. Old Furnace Cottage is situated to the east of a larger house, known as The Furnace, and there are several stable buildings to the south. The land around the cottage generally slopes down towards the south-west, and the cottage lies at a height of approximately 25m above Ordnance Datum. According to the British Geological Survey, the underlying natural consists of the alluvium of a tiny stream valley, in an area otherwise of Ashdown Beds (BGS 1980). Methodology The building survey was carried out in accordance with guidelines set out by the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments (England) for a level 2 record (RCHME 1996; English Heritage 2006). The objectives of the project were: To record information on the plan, form, date, materials, function and condition of the exterior and interior of the building(s), and to discuss their phasing; To highlight constructional details and methods, and materials used; To highlight the most important architectural details, including carpenters marks and any other inscriptions and significant features, such as fixtures and fittings; To note any construction materials that may have been re-used; To set the site in its historical context by doing a short desk-based study; and To discuss the context of the house within its immediate contemporary landscape. The project comprised a summary analysis of the structure using the architect’s plans of the site, along with a comprehensive photographic survey, paying attention to the methods of construction, chronological development, features of special interest, and the impact of the proposed changes to be made. The building has been recorded photographically on 35mm format using colour print, and black and white media, along with digital images, which are catalogued (Appendix 1). East Sussex Historic Environment Record In order to provide some archaeological and historical background information, a search was made on the East Sussex Historic Environment Record (ESHER) on 24th January 2012, for a radius of 1km around the site. This produced 32 entries relating to archaeology and historic buildings, although some of these were duplicates. This information has been collated to produce 13 entries, which are summarized as Appendix 1, with their locations plotted on Figure 1. 2 Prehistoric There were no entries in the ESHER relating to any of the prehistoric periods within the search radius. Roman A Roman ditch was found during a recent archaeological watching brief, which was carried out in advance of a new pipeline from Darwell to Hazards Green, to the east of the site [Fig. 1: 1]. Saxon The only entry relating to the Saxon period refers to the settlement at Penhurst [2], which is mentioned in Domesday Book (AD1086). Medieval Elements of Penhurst parish church [2], dedicated to St Michael, date from the medieval period, including the 14th-century nave. A medieval harness pendant was recently found by a metal detectorist, to the west of the present site [3]. Post-medieval Several post-medieval features, including hearths, kilns, and evidence of ironworking, were recorded during the archaeological watching brief to the east of the site [1]. The majority of entries for the post-medieval period relate to historic buildings, many of which are Listed. At Penhurst [2], the church, farmhouse, barn and granary are recorded, as are some of the buildings associated with the farm at Court Lodge, to the south of the site [4]. Another entry relates to the farmhouse at Rocks Farm, to the north-west [5]. The remains of Ashburnham Furnace lie immediately north of the present site [6]. The site of the furnace is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and has been subject to a partial archaeological excavation. Two cottages which were associated with the furnace are Listed Buildings. To the north of the site, Trinity Cottage [7], and the farmhouse at Bunce’s Farm [8] are Listed Buildings, whilst another entry concerns the site of Panningridge Furnace [9]. The site of the furnace has been confirmed by archaeological excavations, and it is believed to have been in operation between 1542 and 1611. Ashburnham Forge [10] is believed to have been the largest ironworks in the Weald, and was closely associated with the furnace site immediately to the north of the present site. It was in use from the mid 16th century until the early 19th century. An associated house, called Ammer Brook [11], is a Listed Building, as is the farmhouse at nearby Peens Farm [12]. 3 Modern The only entry relating to the modern period relates to Ashburnham Brickworks [13]. Prior to its closure in 1968, the brickworks contained the last wood-fired kiln in Sussex. Historical Background The parish boundary between Ashburnham and Penhurst runs through the site, and is clearly depicted on many of the historic maps consulted. Whilst Ashburnham is a civil parish, taking its name from Ashburnham Place to the south of the present site, its population consists of just a few hundred people, living in the various farms and small settlements of the parish. The population of Penhurst is even smaller. Nevertheless, despite their present small size, both Ashburnham (Esseborne) and Penhurst (Penehest) are mentioned in Domesday Book (AD1086), at which time they were held by the Count of Eu (Williams and Martin 1992). Due to its natural resources, the Weald of Sussex, Surrey and Kent had previously been associated with iron production during the late Iron Age and early Roman periods. Whilst there had been some activity during the medieval period, it was not until the Tudor period that the industry really started to flourish, and the Weald rapidly became the most productive iron-producing region in the country. A major change in the iron producing process came with the introduction of the blast furnace, from the continent, in the late 15th century. The natural geology of the Weald provided sandstone, from which many furnace structures were constructed, whilst the various clay deposits contained iron ore. The heavily wooded landscape of the Weald provided fuel for the furnaces and forges, in the form of charcoal (Hodgkinson 2008).

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