Superstore Development, Bolsover, Derbyshire. Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement SLR Ref: 406.03364.00007 April 2012 Optimisation Developments Ltd i SLR Project Ref 406.03364.00007 Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement April 2012 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 2.0 SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION ........................................................................ 1 3.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 3 4.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ......................................... 4 4.1 Discussion of potential..................................................................................... 7 4.2 Development Impacts ....................................................................................... 8 5.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................ 9 5.1 Aims ................................................................................................................... 9 5.2 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 9 6.0 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 10 6.1 Professional Standards .................................................................................. 10 6.2 Sources of information ................................................................................... 10 6.3 Methods (fieldwork) ........................................................................................ 10 6.4 Methods (Evaluation Report) ......................................................................... 16 6.5 Methods (Publication) .................................................................................... 17 6.6 Methods (Archive)........................................................................................... 17 6.7 Methods (Copyright) ....................................................................................... 18 6.8 Methods (Health and Safety) .......................................................................... 18 6.9 Methods (Project Monitoring) ........................................................................ 19 7.0 RESOURCES AND ORGANISATION ........................................................................ 20 7.1 Staff and Roles ................................................................................................ 20 7.2 Timing .............................................................................................................. 20 7.3 Insurance ......................................................................................................... 20 8.0 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 21 9.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 21 10.0 CLOSURE .................................................................................................................. 22 FIGURES Figure 1: Site location and application area Figure 2: Site location detail Figure 3: Extract from William Senior’s Survey of Bolsover, c 1630 (after Riden and Fowkes 2008) Figure 4: Extract from Joseph Colbeck’s Survey of Bolsover Manor, 1739 (after Riden and Fowkes 2009) Figure 5: 1877 OS map data showing site subdivided into strips and amalgamated strips Figure 6 1898 OS map data, Sherwood Lodge established and site being developed Figure 7 Location of previous archaeological investigations (light blue 1992, purple 1993 and dark blue 2008). Figure Proposed layout from drawing “(SK)27 Proposed Layout 27” provided by Race Cottam Associates 13.02.12 Figure 9: Trench location plan Figure 10 Trench layout in relation to 1877 OS map features Figure 11 Trench locations in relation to 1739 Colbeck Survey of Bolsover SLR Optimisation Developments Ltd 1 SLR Project Ref 406.03364.00007 Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement April 2012 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document is a method statement for an archaeological evaluation prepared by SLR Consulting on behalf of Optimisation Developments Ltd (hereafter also referred to as the Client). This kind of document is sometimes also referred to as a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) or Project Design. The evaluation will investigate the archaeological potential of an area of land (‘the Site’) located off Oxcroft Lane, Bolsover, Derbyshire, centred on National Grid Reference 447424,370666 (NGR SK474706). The nearest postcode is S44 6NF. The purpose of this report is to present the methodology for a trial trench evaluation. The evaluation will establish the presence/absence and nature of any archaeological remains at the trench locations and inform consideration of a planning application for the entire site. An archaeological desk based assessment (“DBA” Nash 2011) has previously been prepared for the site, which has been subject to previous investigations associated with earlier development of the Site (Wall 1992, Priest 1993, Jones 1995 and Lewis 2008). The local planning authority has requested an archaeological evaluation of the site prior to determination of the planning application for development. This is consistent with national planning policy on archaeology and planning (PPS5) as well as the provisions of the Bolsover District Council’s Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document (2006) and the saved measures from the Local Plan (adopted 2000, saved 2007). This method statement has been prepared in consultation with the Derbyshire County Council Development Control Archaeologist (DCCDCA, Steve Baker) who advises Bolsover District Council on archaeological aspects of the planning process, and draws upon the brief prepared by Steve Baker. The Client wishes to make an application to demolish existing buildings on the site and redevelop it for a superstore. 2.0 SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION The development area is an irregular parcel of land, approximately 3.25 hectares containing Bolsover District Council Offices and Police Station, extensive car parking, a memorial garden and an area of remnant parkland associated with Sherwood Lodge (which is now part of the complex of council buildings). The current site access is from Oxcroft Lane on the northern side and Town End at the western limit of the site. The Site is located within the area of Medieval Bolsover, close to its northern limit. The bank and ditch which bounded the settlement (“intrenchment”) is located to the north of the Site, and passes through the development area at the north eastern limit. This part of Bolsover was not part of the built-up historic core, which was centred on the castle and a planned settlement to the south and west of the site under consideration here. The Site occupies high ground within the town, which slopes from north down to the south. The south eastern corner of the site is located on ground which slopes steeply to the south. The current surface of the site is at around 170m AOD at its centre. The solid geology beneath the site consists of Magnesian Limestone (“Cadeby Formation- Dolostone”). Previous archaeological investigations at the Site indicate that this is overlain in SLR Optimisation Developments Ltd 2 SLR Project Ref 406.03364.00007 Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement April 2012 part by naturally deposited clay and made ground. There is evidence for modern truncation to bedrock in places (Priest 1993:4) and made ground to a maximum depth of 1.1m. Figure 1: Site location and application area SLR Optimisation Developments Ltd 3 SLR Project Ref 406.03364.00007 Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement April 2012 Figure 2: Site location detail 3.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The SLR staff involved in the preparation of this method statement include: Andy Towle BA MA PhD MIfA Associate report preparation Gavin Kinsley BA MIfA Associate quality control George Nash BA PhD PGCE MIf A Associate project management SLR Consulting would like to thank James Smith of Morrisions, Nick Wright of Tamsland Ltd, Carl Sedgewick of Race Cottam and Steve Baker of Derbyshire County Council for their assistance in the preparation of this document. Ordnance Survey data extracts are reproduced under licence 100012293 SLR Optimisation Developments Ltd 4 SLR Project Ref 406.03364.00007 Archaeological Evaluation Method Statement April 2012 4.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The archaeological background for the Site is described in greater detail in the Desk Based Assessment (Nash 2011), and it is recommended that the DBA is read in conjunction with this Method Statement. A brief summary of the results of the DBA is given here. Prehistoric archaeological remains are known to be present within the development area in the form of unstratified flint artefacts. These have been recovered during earlier investigations at the site, where an assemblage of 57 flints was recorded, some of which have been dated to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods (Riden and Fowkes 2008: 4; Nash 2011: 8). These were recovered from an area east and south of Sherwood Lodge (Wall 1992: 5-6) beneath the current council offices at the site. Romano-British archaeological remains have also been identified within the development area. These were present as a ditched enclosure, pits and gullies observed