Land East of Halstead Road Kirby Cross Essex
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Land East of Halstead Road Kirby Cross Essex Archaeological Evaluation for Linden Ltd Welbeck Strategic Land II LLP Elizabeth Honor Clark CA Project: 661008 CA Report: 18008 Site Code: FWHR 17 Accession No. COLEM: 2017.97 January 2018 Land East of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 661008 CA Report: 18008 Site Code: FHWR 17 Accession No. COLEM: 2017.97 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 22 January Christopher Laurent Cliff 2018 Leonard Coleman Bateman B 25 January Christopher Laurent Client comments Cliff Leonard Coleman Bateman 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 © Cotswold Archaeology Land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 4 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 6 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 7 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2–10) ...................................................................................... 8 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................ 13 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE .......................................................................... 15 8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 17 9. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 18 10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 19 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 21 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 41 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE ......................................... 42 APPENDIX D: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 43 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological features and cropmarks (1:2500) Fig. 3 Trench location plan showing archaeological features and cropmarks (north) (1:750) Fig. 4 Trench location plan showing archaeological features and cropmarks (west) (1:1000) Fig. 5 Trench location plan showing archaeological features and cropmarks (east) (1:1000) Fig. 6 Trench 9: plan (1:200), section (1:20) and photograph Fig. 7 Trench 17: plan (1:200), section (1:20) and photograph Fig. 8 Trench 22: plan (1:200) and photograph Fig. 9 Trenches 40 and 43: plans (1:200), sections (1:20) and photographs Fig. 10 Trench 45: plan (1:200), section (1:20) and photograph Fig. 11 Trench 46: plan (1:200), sections (1:20) and photographs Fig. 12 Trench 48: plan (1:200), section (1:20) and photograph Fig. 13 Trench 53: plan (1:200), section (1:20) and photograph 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Land east of Halstead Road Location: Kirby Cross, Essex NGR: 622314 221126 Type: Evaluation Date: 8–22 December 2017 Planning Reference: 15/01234/OUT Location of Archive: To be deposited with Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service Accession Number: COLEM: 2017.97 Site Code: FHWR 17 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in December 2017 on land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex. A total of 84 trenches was excavated. The evaluation identified a single feature of Late prehistoric date together with a small area of medieval activity within the eastern part of the site. This medieval activity comprised agricultural boundary ditches and a cluster of pits. Undated activity comprised three undated pits and an unurned cremation in the western part of the site. Post-medieval and modern field system ditches, and a number of modern pits, were also identified. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In December 2017 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Linden Ltd Welbeck Strategic Land II LLP and Elizabeth Honor Clark on land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex (centred at NGR: 622314 221126; Fig. 1). 1.2 Tendring District Council (TDC) has granted planning permission (15/01234/OUT) for residential development following an appeal. The proposed development comprises the erection of up to 240 dwellings with a community hub including either a 40-bed space care home (Class C2) or a healthcare facility (Class D1), together with access from Halstead Road, Woburn Avenue and Buckfast Avenue; along with parking, green infrastructure, structural landscaping, biodiversity enhancements, drainage and other related infrastructure and services provision. In keeping with paragraph 141 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF; DCLG 2012) and on a recommendation from Teresa O’Connor, Essex County Council’s Historic Environment Consultant (ECCHEC), it was recommended that a condition should be attached to the consent, requiring that: RECOMMENDATION: A Programme of Trial Trenching followed by Open Area Excavation 1. No development or preliminary ground-works can commence until a programme of archaeological trial trenching has been secured and undertaken in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation, which has been submitted by the applicant, and approved by the planning authority. Following the completion of this initial phase of archaeological work, a summary report will be prepared and a mitigation strategy detailing the approach to further archaeological excavation and/or preservation in situ through re-design of the development, shall be submitted to the local planning authority. 2. No development or preliminary groundwork can commence on those areas of the development site containing archaeological deposits, until the satisfactory completion of archaeological fieldwork, as detailed in the mitigation strategy, which has been signed off by the local planning authority. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation 3. Following completion of the archaeological fieldwork, the applicant will submit to the local planning authority a post-excavation assessment (within six months of the completion date, unless otherwise agreed in advance with the planning authority), which will result in the completion of post-excavation analysis, preparation of a full site archive and report ready for deposition at the local museum, and submission of a publication report. 1.3 The evaluation trenching, representing the initial phase of archaeological fieldwork, was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological evaluation (O’Connor 2017) and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2017) and approved by Teresa O’Connor (ECCHER). The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), and Standards for Field Archaeology in the East of England (Gurney 2003). It was monitored by Teresa O’Connor, including a site visit on 14 December 2017. The site 1.4 The proposed development site covers part of a single large field (until recently two separate fields), encompassing an area of 18.86ha. The site is bordered to the north and east by agricultural and open land, to the south by numerous properties within various residential developments adjoining Frinton Road (the B1033), and to the west by the gardens of properties fronting Halstead Road. The site stands at a general elevation of 23m above ordnance datum (AOD), dropping to 20m AOD at its northern edge, on a flattish plateau also containing the settlement of Kirby Cross to the south, Frinton-on-Sea to the east and Great Holland to the south-west. To the north the land drops towards The Wade, part of an extensive tract of sea inlets. 1.5 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Thames Group - Clay, Silt and Sand of the Palaeogene Period with superficial deposits of Kesgrave Catchment Subgroup - Sand and Gravel and of Cover Sand - Clay, Silt and Sand at the west of the site (BGS 2018). Orange and yellow clays and silts were identified across the site in the evaluation, with occasional pockets of sand and gravel. 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The archaeological and historical background of the site has been presented in an Historic Environment Assessment produced by SLR Consulting (SLR 2015). The 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land east of Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex: Archaeological Evaluation following section is summarised from this source and reference to the Essex Historic Environment Record (HER) and other historical records via online sources (HER numbers in parenthesis). Notably, undated cropmark