Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment Report

Project Code: LWF-DA-15 Planning Ref: CA/15/000683 NGR: 612273 154995 Report No: 2015/99 Archive No: 3559

June 2015

Document Record This report has been issued and amended as follows:

Version Prepared by Position Date Approved by

01 Ross Lane Project Officer 22/06/2015 Jake Weekes

Conditions of Release

This document has been prepared for the titled project, or named part thereof, and should not be relied on or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd being obtained. Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person by whom it was commissioned. This document has been produced for the purpose of assessment and evaluation only. To the extent that this report is based on information supplied by other parties, Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by the client, whether contractual or otherwise, stemming from any conclusions based on data supplied by parties other than Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd and used by Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd in preparing this report. This report must not be altered, truncated, précised or added to except by way of addendum and/or errata authorized and executed by Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd.

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Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

CONTENTS

Summary ...... 1

1 Introduction ...... 2 2 Policy and research frameworks ...... 2 3 Location, topography and geology ...... 4 4 Designations ...... 4 5 Archaeological and historical evidence ...... 4 Prehistoric (c 500,000BP – AD 43) ...... 5 Romano-British (c AD 43 – 450) ...... 6 Anglo-Saxon (c 450 –1066) ...... 6 Medieval (c 1066 – 1540) ...... 7 Post-medieval (c 1540 – 1901) ...... 8 Modern (c 1901-2000) ...... 8 6 Interim impact assessment ...... 9 7 Conclusion ...... 10

List of Figures Figure 1 Site location plan ...... 11 Figure 2 UAD and HER search results ...... 12 Figure 3 2013 Google Earth showing cropmarks ...... 13 Figure 4 After Hasted 1779 map of Chartham Downs barrow cemetery ...... 14 Figure 5 Andrews, Dury and Herbert 1769 map ...... 15 Figure 6 1940 aerial photographic survey Google Earth ...... 16 Figure 7 Ordnance Survey map 1816 ...... 17 Figure 8 Ordnance Survey map 1877 ...... 18

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

Summary

This report presents an archaeological desk-based assessment of land at Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham CT4 7PQ (NGR 612273, 154995 centered). The report was commissioned by Karl Elliot of Clague Architects in view of the proposed development of the site for the erection of ten residential dwellings with associated landscaping and access roads, hereafter referred to as the proposed development area (PDA).

Evidence of prehistoric occupation within the area is slight but cannot be discounted due to the PDA’s location with a commanding view across the River Stour. Roman period and Anglo-Saxon activity in the area is minimal but highly significant. Inhumation and cremation burials dated to the Romano-British period were found within a chalk quarry just 1.1km to the south-east of the PDA, while at least two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries exist within a 1.1km radius of the site.

Recent agricultural land use including the erection of farm buildings may have truncated archaeological deposits. In addition large deposits of potentially contaminated waste may have led to negative changes to the condition of the archaeological resource.

Due to the unknown nature of the buried archaeological resource in the area it is recommended that an archaeological evaluation is carried out in advance of any building work to establish the presence or absence of buried archaeology. If significant archaeological remains are found, further mitigation will be necessary; this may take the form of an archaeological excavation, or preservation of buried archaeology in situ.

Also, in respect of the prominent location of the site, it is recommended that the proposed development be suitably screened to the south and west to preserve and enhance the natural character of the Stour Valley. Further mitigation measures that enhance the setting of the development within an area of ancient woodland should also be sought.

If these measures are observed, the effect on the historic environment will be reduced to minor or negligible.

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

1 Introduction

1.1 This report presents a rapid archaeological appraisal of land at Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham, CT4 7PQ (NGR 612273, 154995 centred Fig 1). The report was commissioned by Karl Elliot of Clague Architects, in view of the proposed development of the site for the erection of ten dwellings with associated landscaping and access roads. This report present the results of a scoping study appraising the potential for archaeological impacts should proposed groundworks take place, and a draft mitigation strategy as appropriate.

1.2 Additional desk-based research and/or fieldwork may be requested by planning authorities or specified as conditions on any planning consent, although any request for further desk-based work should clearly demonstrate the benefits of such an approach as opposed to field evaluation, for example.

2 Policy and research frameworks

2.1 This report has been prepared in light of national and local policy regarding heritage assets, and with reference to research frameworks.

National policy

2.2 The National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG March 2012) sets out a series of core planning principles designed to underpin plan-making and decision-taking within the planning system. In terms of development proposals affecting known heritage assets, the following principle states that planning should:

Conserve heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance, so that they can be enjoyed for their contribution to the quality of life of this and future generations.

2.3 Policy 126 states that:

Local planning authorities should set out in their Local Plan a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, including heritage assets most at risk through neglect, decay or other threats. In doing so, they should recognise that heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource and conserve them in a manner appropriate to their significance. In developing this strategy, local planning authorities should take into account:

• The desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation;

• The wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits that conservation of the historic environment can bring;

• The desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness; and

• Opportunities to draw on the contribution made by the historic environment to the character of the place.

2.4 When determining planning applications, the following policies are especially pertinent:

128. Local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation.

129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of the heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.

132. When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more important the asset, the greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are irreplaceable, any harm or loss should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of a Grade II listed building, park or garden should be exceptional. Substantial harm to or loss of designated heritage assets of the highest significance, notably scheduled monuments, protected wreck sites, battlefields, grade I and II* listed buildings, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens , and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional.

139. Non-designated heritage assets of archaeological interest that are demonstrably of equivalent significance to scheduled monuments, should be considered subject to the policies for designated heritage assets.

2.5 The existence of the latter within a proposed development area can be partially investigated and to an extent predicted via desk-based assessment, but field evaluation and/or archaeological monitoring of groundworks are likely to be a planning requirement and should be expected.

Local policy

2.6 Applying the same general principles on a local scale, the relevant Canterbury District Local Plan (Publication Draft 2014) policies are HE1 (includes Scheduled Ancient Monuments and buildings of local architectural or historic interest), HE2 (World Heritage Sites), HE4–5 (Listed Buildings), HE5– 6 (Conservation Areas), HE12 (Historic Landscapes), and HE10 and HE11 (Archaeology).

Research frameworks

2.7 The national and local policy outlined above should be considered in light of the non-statutory heritage frameworks that inform them. While the regional South East Research Framework for the historic environment (SERF) 1 is still in preparation, initial outputs are available on-line and have been considered in preparing this report, in order to take current research agendas into account.

2.8 It has only recently been more fully acknowledged, for example, that whole historic landscapes also need to be protected. A key feature of ‘landscape’ is that it is conceptual, subjective and relative rather than absolute. A succinct Highways Agency (2007) definition states that ‘Historic Landscape is defined both by people’s perceptions of the evidence of past human activities in the present landscape and the places where those activities can be understood in the landscape today. This definition highlights

1 http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/heritage/south_east_research_framework.aspx

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

the role of perception and emphasises the rich cultural dimension implanted in landscape character by several millennia of human actions.’

3 Location, topography and geology

3.1 The PDA is situated just below the ridge line on the eastern side of the Great Stour valley (Fig 1). Located 655m from the river basin, it lies at a height of between 82m and 87m OD. The PDA is situated 3.74 km to the south-west of the historic city of Canterbury.

3.2 The central PDA consists of a roughly rhomboid area of land aligned north–south that measures approximately 176m by 142m by 131m by 189m with an area of 24,191m². A proposed access road aligned north-west to south-east extends from the south-west corner of the site down slope to a proposed new junction with Cockering Road. The land through this alignment drops in height from approximately 77m to 42m OD. The site is bounded to the north and east by woodland known as Larkey Valley Wood and to the west by arable fields; this woodland also forms the immediate wider landscape to the north and east. The line of the proposed access road lies adjacent and to the north of an existing hedge line.

3.3 The site is currently occupied by modern agricultural buildings and associated spoil heaps and includes up to five steel framed barns and additional metal containers; approximately 5–600 tons of waste material have also been deposited on the site leading to contamination issues (Karl Elliott pers. comm). Recent topographical surveys of the site have indicated a large section of made ground in the north-west corner with deposits above the natural bedrock on average 1m thick across the area. The line of the proposed access road is contained within a single field boundary that is currently set for arable use.

3.4 Bedrock geology within the area is shown on the British Geological Survey 2 as Seaford Chalk Formation – Chalk which may be overlain in the north-eastern half of the site by superficial deposits of Head- Clay and Silt.

4 Designations

4.1 The PDA is not within or directly associated with any World Heritage Sites, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Registered Battlefields, Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings or Registered Parks and Gardens. Historic Landscape Characterisation has been checked on-line,3 where the land is described as pre-twentieth century medium regular fields with straight boundaries of parliamentary type enclosures. The site is surrounded to the north and east by woodland that has been designated ancient and semi natural wood known as Larkey Valley Wood.4

4.2 The city of Canterbury is located just over 3.5 km north-east of the PDA, with heritage assets including the World Heritage Site of Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine’s Abbey and St. Martin’s Church. The site lies approximately 1.5km from the historic centere of Chartham and the Chartham conservation area.

5 Archaeological and historical evidence

5.1 For this desk-based assessment a search of the Canterbury City Council Urban Archaeological Database (UAD: Fig 2) as well as a list of reports of archaeological investigations not yet included in the UAD was undertaken at the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) offices. In addition, the CAT Annual Reports on-line and grey literature report lists, on-line gazetteer and reports library have been checked. The UAD and reports search covers a radius of 2km around the PDA (centred on NGR 612273,

2 http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyviewer/ 3 http://www.kent.gov.uk/ExploringKentsPast/advancedsearch.aspx 4 http://magic.gov.uk

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

154995), though sites from further afield have been considered where they contribute to the wider picture of landscape usage. These records have been assessed in terms of their particular relevance to the PDA and only significant evidence is cited in this report. Further (on-line) historic environment records (KCC Historic Environment Records HER; National Monuments Records NMR) were also consulted in comparison.

5.2 General historical context for archaeological findings is provided where applicable/significant in terms of results, and a survey of published and unpublished maps (including geology and contour survey) has been undertaken. A full list of maps consulted is provided in the list of sources at the end of the report. Only maps showing significant topographical developments are reproduced here.

5.3 No pertinent geophysical surveys were available. Only photographs, images or results showing significant features or topographical developments are reproduced, the findings incorporated with map regression, documentary evidence and archaeological sections of the report as appropriate and fully referenced.

5.4 A site survey (equivalent to English Heritage Level 1) has not been requested by the client.

5.5 All results of analyses are presented below in synthesis and in order of chronology. UAD, HER and NMR numbers are given in parentheses.

Prehistoric (c 500,000BP – AD 43)

5.6 Lower Palaeolithic material might be expected within the Stour basin where second terrace river terrace gravels survive in places that have not been removed by twentieth- century gravel extraction. A lower Palaeolithic hand axe and a number of flakes (MKE4860, TR 15 NW 49) were discovered 1.2km to the north-east of the site that date from 50,000 years before the present (BP). During the digging of a well in Chartham 1.4km to the west of the PDA workmen found the jaw of a woolly rhinoceros (MKE91545; TR 15 NW 1637) in the seventeenth century. A further Palaeolithic Levallois flake (MKE91451; TR 15 NW 1618) was found at Horton Chapel just above the flood plain of the River Stour.

5.7 Located 932m to the north-west of the PDA along the route of the A28 deposits dated to Cal 2470–2175BC were discovered during archaeological evaluation (Allen 1996; MKE 18272, TR 15 NW 641). These consisted of extensive occupation deposits sealing Late Pleistocene gravels that formed preserved evidence of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age river side activity.

5.8 A Neolithic polished flint axe (MKE5401, TR 15 SW 4) was discovered at Upper Horton Farm located 634m south-east of the site. On the western side of the Stour valley a further Neolithic polished flint axe head (MKE4829, TR 15 NW 18) was discovered at Harbledown 1.9km to the north-west of the PDA.

5.9 A potential bowl barrow (MKE5402; TR 15 SW 5; , English Heritage scheduled monument No. 1009010) that would probably date to the Bronze Age, approximately 2350 BC to 800BC, is located 1.2km to the south-east of the PDA within Iffin Wood. A further cropmark identified as a probable Bronze Age ring- ditch (MKE77018; TR 15 SW 1513) lies approximately 1km to the south-west of the PDA. A late Bronze Age spear head (MKE4825; TR 15 NW 14) c 1250–800BC was discovered in Chartham 1.3km to the south-west of the PDA.

5.10 No evidence for early Iron Age (c 800–300 BC) activity is recorded in the direct vicinity of the PDA, but the upland areas of the Stour valley have proven to be focal points for settlement during this period. The nearest known site lies approximately 4.4km to the north-east on the south facing ridge of St Thomas’s Hill (Lane 2014). Occupation of the Stour valley during the later Iron Age (c 300 BC to AD 43) was focused at Bigbury hillfort located at Chartham Hatch approximately 2km to the north-west of the PDA and latterly within the environs of Canterbury. Discovered 1.5km to the south-east of the

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

PDA was a well preserved iron linchpin (MKE18126; TR 15 SW 58) 110mm long with copper-alloy cast terminals and decorated raised bird head motifs that dated to the late Iron Age.

Romano-British (c AD 43 – 450)

5.11 Recorded Roman period activity in the vicinity of the PDA is limited, potentially due to the relatively rural setting. A concentration of find spots is located at Thanington, approximately 2km to the north of the PDA, which include a bronze ring (MKE4946; TR 15 NW 137), a brooch (MKE5103, TR 15 NW 315) and an early Roman cremation burial (MKE 5105 TR 15 NW 317), as well as pits and other features uncovered during extension works to the A2 slip road (Macintosh 2010). This activity most likely represents the south-westerly extent of influence from late Iron Age and early Roman Canterbury.

5.12 The area surrounding the PDA would likely have been arable land or wooded during the Roman period with perhaps isolated farmsteads and villas. Located 505m to the south-west of the PDA, UAD record MKE5118 states the potential for a Romano-British building and the line of a Roman road based on aerial photographs. Later archaeological work in the area (Sparey-Green 2003) found no evidence to confirm the sighting. A potential Romano-British cremation burial (MKE 5399; TR 15 SW 12) was discovered on farmland 410m to the east of the PDA.

5.13 Following the valley ridge line 1.1km to the south-east of the PDA, investigations preceding a residential development at St Augustine’s Hospital (Rady 1997; MKE18203; TR 15 SW 59) uncovered a large multi-phased Romano-British chalk quarry that dated from the first to second century AD. During excavation a cremation burial and inhumation burial were discovered within the lower fills of the quarry. At least two potential chalk quarries can be identified through cropmarks within 500m to the south-west of the PDA (Fig 3), although this type of feature can also be associated with medieval and post-medieval activity. A further potential Romano-British building (MKE5411; TR 15 SW 14) was located via cropmarks within open ground to the south of Iffin Woods, approximately 1.46km to the south-east of the PDA.

Anglo-Saxon (c 450 –1066)

5.14 Anglo-Saxon settlement activity in the area is likely to have consisted of small villages or farms strung out along the River Stour; within the vicinity of the PDA these would have included Chartham, Horton, Milton and Thanington before reaching Canterbury to the north-east. An archaeological investigation (Sparey-Green 2003) ahead of the relaying of a water main just to the south-east of Horton and 500m to the west of the PDA (TR 116 553) revealed six Anglo-Saxon graves. These were found at an approximate elevation of 27m OD, cut into the natural chalk bedrock. Three of the graves were excavated and revealed the remains of two adults and a juvenile as well grave goods including a spear head, shield boss and numerous amber beads. Cut into the upper fill of one of the burials was a slightly later small sunken-featured building with a possible hearth.

5.15 Other Anglo-Saxon graves have been found in the wider landscape surrounding the PDA. These include a single grave containing a bead (MKE5204; TR 15 NE416) located 1.8km to the north-east and a historically recorded barrow cemetery (MKE5400; TR 15 SW 13) located somewhere in the Chartham Downs area near St Augustine’s Hospital, 1.3km to the south-west of the PDA. The latter was investigated in the eighteenth century and only patchy records remain; a Roman glass bottle, brooch and coins were found in one barrow, which are now in the British Museum. Hasted mentions these monuments during his travels through Kent (Hasted 1798) see also Fig 4;

‘On the chalky downs, called Chartham Downs, adjoining the south side of the Ashford road, about four miles from Canterbury, being high and dry ground, with a declivity towards the river Stour; there are a great number of tumuli, or barrows near, one hundred perhaps of different

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

sizes near each other, this spot being described in the ancient deeds of the adjoining estates by the name of Danes banks’

5.16 Slightly further away a large earthworks (MKE5403; TR 15 SW 16), identified at Iffin Woods approximately 1.4km to the south-east of the PDA, could plausibly form part of a late Anglo- Saxon manorial settlement. Likewise the moated manor at Tonford (MKE4848; TR 15 NW 37), located 1.8km to the north of the PDA, may have its origins within the Anglo-Saxon period.

Medieval (c 1066 – 1540)

5.17 At the time of Domesday Book 5 in 1086, Chartham was a very large parish of seventy- six households in the hundred of Felborough, while Horton was a medium parish of fourteen households with a total value to the lord in 1066 of £2. Chartham is listed as having 8 acres of meadow 100 acres of woodland and two mills. Some of this woodland is likely to fall within the DBA.

5.18 The PDA lies 257m to the east of Cockering Road which by the time of the Andrews, Dury and Herbert map of 1769 (Fig 5) was the main highway from Ashford and Maidstone to Canterbury also known as the High Road. Although there is limited evidence that this road dates to the medieval period, this appears likely as several manors and settlements along its route date from at least this time..

5.19 These manors form an integral part of the medieval landscape of the area and a number include listed buildings. Horton manor (MKE9131; TR 15 NW 506), located 683m to the west of the PDA, is a grade II listed building dated to the fourteenth century, although mostly remodeled in the fifteenth century. Within its grounds are the remains of Horton Chapel (grade II listed; MKE9131; TR 15 NW 507) which dates to the fourteenth century.

5.20 Further to the chapel at Horton manor there is a second chapel at Milton, 569m to the north-west of the PDA. St John the Baptist Chapel (MKE4832; TR 15 NW 21) is Grade II listed (list no. 1370012), dating from the thirteenth century. It was restored in the nineteenth century.

5.21 Howfield Manor (MKE23748; TR 15 NW 1402) on the west side of the river just over 1km to the north-west of the PDA also dates to the thirteenth century. The thirteenth-century church of St Mary’s in Chartham (MKE4827; TR 15 NW 16) lies approximately 1.4km to the south-west of the PDA, and is surrounded by a few preserved historic buildings including the Grade II listed Artichoke Inn (MKE13823; TR 15 SW 63) which formed the core of Chartham from the late fourteenth century onwards.

5.22 Located 1.1km to the north-east of the PDA and on the line of Cockering Road lies Old Manor or Cockering Farm (MKE86211; TR15 NW 1038), which dates to the sixteenth century.

5.23 Linear features (MKE5119; TR 15 NW 331) identified through aerial photographs and satellite imagery are located just 173m to the south of the PDA, and in the 1940s photographs at least appear to continue within the bounds of the site (Fig 6). It is unclear which period these date to but they are not

5 http//opendomesday.org

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

represented in post-medieval maps of the area (see below). They appear to be aligned roughly north- west to south-east, following the ridge line of the valley.

Post-medieval (c 1540 – 1901)

5.24 The PDA currently lies within the Chartham parish, but previously lay within the ancient parish of Milton as depicted on the 1872 Second Edition Ordnance Survey map. Hasted (1798) found Chartham to be;

‘pleasantly situated, a great part of it in the fertile vale of pastures through which the river Stour takes its course, between a continued series or range of lofty hills, over which this parish extends; the high road from Canterbury to Ashford leads through it, mostly on high ground, from which there is a most pleasing view of the vale and river beneath, as well as of the opposite hills, whose summits are clothed with the rich foliage of the contiguous woods.’

5.25 The Andrews, Dury and Herbert map of 1769 (Fig 5) shows the PDA to be completely covered in woodland, bordered to the west by a minor road linking Milton Down and Chartham Downs in the south. This road is still present in the form of the access track to the PDA that then progresses to the south, crossing a further farm track that leads to Upper Horton Farm and Iffin Lane in the east.

5.26 The medieval manor estates at Horton and Milton were still in use during the post-medieval period; at Milton manor buildings were constructed that included a Grade II listed seventeenth-century aisled timber barn (MKE24093; TR 15 NW 1345). Grade II listed New House Farm (MKE86212; TR 15 SW 150), located 841m to the east of the PDA was first constructed in the early eighteenth century. This construction likely marks the start of large-scale assarting (encroachments) that reduced Larkey Valley Wood to a quarter of its original size and included by the nineteenth century the clearing within which the present PDA is situated.

5.27 The first series of the Ordnance Survey of Kent (1816, Fig 7) shows the PDA in its clearing and the woods much reduced in size. This edition and the Tithe map show the area prior to the South Eastern railway line built in 1846. The Tithe map for Chartham of 1839 shows that the high road from Ashford to Canterbury had been diverted at the western end of Shalmsford Street offering a more direct route into Canterbury on the west side of the River Stour. The 1877 edition Ordnance Survey (Fig 8) shows this road with new bridges constructed across the railway.

5.28 Several farms began operating in the area during the nineteenth century including Chartham View Farm or Hillside Farm (MKE86373; TR15 SW), located on Cockering Road 942m to the south- west of the PDA, and Upper Horton Farm (MKE86213; TR15 SW) 708m to the south-east of the PDA.

Modern (c 1901-2000)

5.29 The area along the River Stour formed part of a Second World War defensive ‘stop’ line that was proposed around the start of March 1941 (MKE42747; TR 15 NW). The plan if implemented by the Royal Engineers 43 Division would have involved the demolition of several bridges and the laying of tubular scaffolding along the intervening stretches. A further stop line was proposed for the London Victoria to Canterbury railway line that included road blocks (MKE42752; TR 15 NW 1120) which would have acted as demolition points in the event of invasion.

5.30 During the Second World War Chartham had several installations including a Home Guard Post (MKE42769; TR 15 NW 1128). A road block (MKE42755; TR15 NW1125) was set along Shalmsford Street with a further Defense Wardens Post (MKE42410; TR 15 NW 860) on the south side of Thanington on Cockering Road. In addition, by May 1942, there was a heavy anti-aircraft gun emplacement (MKE42761; TR 15 SW 164) in a field to the east of Upper Horton Farm, located approximately 723m to the south-east of the PDA. This was complemented by a searchlight

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

emplacement (MKE42760; TR15 NW 686) on the opposing western ridge of the Stour valley at Chartham Hatch.

6 Interim impact assessment

Existing impacts

6.1 Previous impacts to the PDA are associated with earlier tree cover and its clearance, along with groundworks associated with modern agricultural buildings and associated spoil heaps that include up to five steel framed barns and additional metal containers. Approximately 5–600 tons of waste material have been deposited on the site leading to contamination issues (Karl Elliott pers. comm) that may have negatively impacted upon the condition of the archaeological resource.

6.2 A large section of made ground in the north-west corner with deposits above the natural bedrock on average 1m thick across the area is worth noting, both in terms of increased depth at which extant archaeological features may survive, and whence this material derived. The latter may indicate prior truncation of the area through landscaping.

Potential impacts

6.3 Due to the nature of the topography and the local tree cover, there is no line of sight to Canterbury and no impact to the setting of its World Heritage Sites and Scheduled monuments is foreseen. The site sits just below the upper ridge line of the eastern Stour valley and as such is in full view of the ancient site of Bigbury Hill fort to the west and can be seen from the Chartham Conservation area. But if sufficiently screened this impact can be reduced to zero.

6.4 There is a low to moderate chance that archaeology relating to prehistoric periods may be encountered through groundwork. Palaeolithic ecofacts and artefacts may be disturbed by groundworks and whilst the probability of discovering such artefacts is low due to the geological formation of the site, archaeology relating to this period can be of regional or even national significance. Mesolithic and Neolithic archaeology could also be encountered, and could contribute to local and regional understanding of the period.

6.5 The known archaeological features that date to the Bronze Age and Iron Age are all over 1km distant from the PDA and there are no clear cropmarks within the vicinity that could indicate the presence of funerary or settlement features. Archaeological deposits from these periods cannot be discounted from the area of the PDA however, especially taking into account the site’s location on a ridge line overlooking the River Stour. If identified these could contribute to local and regional understanding of the period.

6.6 There is a low to moderate chance that below ground archaeology from the Romano-British will be present in the area of the PDA. The discovery of cremation and inhumation burials within a chalk quarry pit at Chartham Downs, although 1.1km to the south-east could indicate a pattern of Romano- British quarrying and associated activity. Cropmarks within the vicinity of the PDA would suggest that there is a high likelihood for the presence of further chalk quarrying activity within the PDA itself. If dated to this period than any such remains would contribute to local and regional understanding of the development of Romano-British rural settlement.

6.7 Likewise there is some potential for the presence of Anglo-Saxon burials within the area of the PDA, given at least two cremation cemeteries within the vicinity, the closest just 500m to the west. Again the location of the PDA along the upper ridge line overlooking the Stour is a similar location to the barrow cemetery at Chartham Downs, and if any such features were to be identified they would be of regional and wider research significance. The linear features identified through aerial photography to the south of the PDA most likely pre-date the medieval period as they do not follow the subsequent field

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

boundaries. Their true extent and date is currently unknown but they appear to extend within the area of the PDA.

6.8 There is a low chance of below ground archaeology from the medieval and post-medieval period as the site is located over 500m from the River Stour where medieval manors were located to utilize the river’s power for milling. It is likely that for much of the medieval period the area of the PDA was a part of the ancient Larkey Valley Wood and managed as such by the manor of Milton within which territory it once lay. The current entrance track to the site appears to have once been a road-way joining Milton Downs to Chartham Downs but its origin is unclear.

6.9 During the post-medieval period the area of the PDA was cleared and likely used as pasture land; features related to this period may include field boundary ditches. Any features related to pastoral or woodland management during the medieval and post-medieval periods identified at the site would be of regional research significance.

6.10 The destruction of preserved archaeology without proper record risks major negative impact on the historic environment. In order to mitigate this potential impact, it is recommended that an archaeological evaluation is carried out in advance of building work so as to establish the presence or absence of buried archaeological remains. If such remains are discovered and are assessed to be at risk from the proposed development, further mitigation appropriate to the established significance of those remains may be required, in the form of an archaeological excavation or preservation in situ. If excavated, archaeological remains will be ‘preserved by record’ and the information generated made public, again via means appropriated to their significance. Modifications to the design of building or services in order to preserve buried archaeology in situ, can also be suggested.

7 Conclusion

7.1 The PDA lies in an area of moderate archaeological potential, on the edge of a truncated ancient and semi natural woodland known as Larkey Valley Woods. The PDA’s topographic location is such that it is easily visible within the surrounding landscape to the east. Any negative impact the development may have on this setting could be mitigated with the provision of suitable screening to preserve and improve the character of the Stour Valley.

7.2 Evidence of activity from the Palaeolithic to Iron Age may be encountered. Evidence for Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon activity if encountered could be of regional or national significance; later evidence is likely to relate to woodland or pastoral use and management dating back to at least the medieval period.

7.3 It is recommended that an archaeological evaluation is carried out in advance of any building work to establish the presence or absence of buried archaeology. If significant archaeological remains are found, further mitigation will be necessary; this may take the form of an archaeological excavation, or preservation of buried archaeology in situ.

7.4 If these measures are observed, the effect on the historic environment will be reduced to minor or negligible.

Larkey Woods Farm, Cockering Road, Chartham

References

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MAPS AND VIEWS CONSULTED:

Andrews, Dury and Herbert 1769 Hasted 1798. The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, Vol. 7 Tithe Maps: Chartham Ordnance Survey 1st Series 1816 Ordnance Survey 1877 Google Earth