Archaeological Deskbased Assessment of land at GUNTER'S LANE BEXHILL For WYGE Lorna Richardson Archaeological Deskbased Assessment of land at GUNTER'S LANE BEXHILL
Client: WYGE
Local Authority: Rother District Council
NGR: 573013,109080
Planning App:
Author(s): L.. Richardson
Doc Ref: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3
Date: February 08
A trading name of the L P : Partnership Ltd.
The Truman Brewery | 91 Brick Lane | London, E1 6QL | +44 [0]20 7 770 6045 | +44 [0]20 7 691 7245 www.lparchaeology.com TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Figures
Table of Plates
Table of Appendices
Abstract
1. Introduction and Scope of Study
2. Planning Background
3. Geology and Topography
4. Archaeological and Historical Background
5. Site Conditions and the Proposed Redevelopment
6. Summary and Conclusions
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 - Site Location General
Figure 2 - Site Location Detail
Figure 3 - ESSMR Findspots
Figure 4 - Speed 1610
Figure 5 - OS 1899
Figure 6 - OS 1909
Figure 7 - OS 1939
Figure 8 - Proposed Redevelopment TABLE OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Sources Consulted
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 Abstract A site located at Gunter's Lane, Bexhill is proposed for redevelopment. This report contains results of cartographic, archaeological, and documentary research into the site undertaken by L – P : Archaeology on behalf of WYGE.
The site does not contain any scheduled monuments or listed buildings. The site does not fall within a council designated Conservation Area.
The immediate vicinity of the site did not see extensive activity during the Prehistoric or Roman periods. During the Early Medieval period a manorial complex was established in the hamlet of Bexhill, and a church was constructed by the early 12th century. Settlement remained small and scattered in scale throughout the Medieval and early Post – Medieval period.
The town of Bexhill – on – Sea developed out of a collection of small hamlets, scattered farmsteads and the main village with extensive new construction during the late Victorian and Edwardian period. The site area remained agricultural land until the early 20th century, when a school and school playing fields were constructed on the site. Given the distance of the site from the established settlement centre at Old Town Bexhill, the potential for significant archaeological features can be considered low.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 1. Introduction and Scope of Study
1.1.This archaeological desk based assessment has been researched and prepared by Lorna Richardson of L - P : Archaeology on behalf of WYGE.
1.2.The report considers land at Gunter's Lane, Bexhill. The local authority is the Rother District Council. The site is centred at National Grid Reference 573155,109163 (Figure 1).
1.3.The site is currently proposed for redevelopment by although detailed proposals were not available at the time of writing.
1.4.This assessment draws together the available archaeological, topographical and land use information in order to clarify the archaeological potential of the site. This report will accompany the planning submission.
1.5. The site at Gunter's Lane does not fall within the Bexhill Conservation Area and does not contain any Scheduled Monuments. There are a number of archaeological find spots in the study area and some archaeological works have been undertaken in the town during other construction work.
1.6.This assessment also comprises an examination of the East Sussex Sites and Monuments Record (SMR), local excavations and watching briefs, topographic information and a map regression exercise. The information is also based on the results of documentary and cartographic research as well as published and unpublished literature. The study area for the site is within a 1km radius of the proposed development at Gunter's Lane.
1.7.The assessment seeks to address the following issues:
To assess the potential archaeology on this site
To assess the survival of potential archaeology
To assess the impact of the proposed development on this potential
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 2. Planning Background
2.1.In November 1990 the Department of the Environment issued PPG 16, “Archaeology and Planning”. This document provides guidance for planning authorities, property owners, developers and others on the preservation and investigation of archaeological remains.
2.2.In considering any planning application for development the local planning authority, the Rother District Council, is bound by the policy frameworks provided by Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG 16), and the policies within the East Sussex County Council's Structure Plan (adopted December 1991).
2.3. The relevant policies contained within the Structure Plan are reproduced below for clarity:
EN22
Provision should be made for the identification, recording, safeguarding,investigation and preservation, preferably “in situ”, or, where not feasible, by record, of all archaeological sites (including those of maritime interest) and monuments and historic and listed buildings.
EN23
Sites and features of demonstrable historical or archaeological importance and their settings, including ancient monuments, listed buildings, conservation areas, historic parks and gardens, battlefields and other historic features will be protected from inappropriate changes and development.
EN24
Development proposals affecting known archaeological sites or areas of potential archaeological interest should be accompanied by an assessment, based on a field evaluation, of their archaeological implications before decisions on applications for planning permission can be made.
2.4.In accordance with best practice and government guidance, the client has requested this report at the earliest stage in order to be fully informed of any archaeological issues that may be encountered during any planning application process and subsequent development.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 3. Geology and Topography
3.1.GEOLOGY
3.1.1. The British Geological Survey GeoIndex (BGS 12/12/07) lists the geology of Bexhill as located on the Hastings Beds, which comprise interbedded sands, soft sandstones and clays, with superficial deposits of alluvium.
3.1.2. It should be emphasised that this data is at a relatively low resolution. Further geotechnical information should be consulted as it becomes available to further refine the picture of geological deposits on the site.
3.2.TOPOGRAPHY
3.2.1. Bexhill lies 150ft above sea level on the edge of the High Weald. The High Weald is characterized by a complex of ridges and steep stream valleys. Patchworks of fields, hedges and dense woodland with the roads and main settlements run along the ridge ways and narrow winding lanes link small villages and hamlets .
3.2.2. Bexhill itself is a triangle shaped area of high ground with the Watermill Stream to the north, Combe Haven valley to the east and the Pevensey Levels to the west. It has steep slopes protecting three sides and a ridge running eastwards along Hastings Road. A low undulating ridge separates the Old Town from Bexhill Down and higher ground to the north.
3.2.3. The site is located to the south west of the A269, and lies immediately south east of the junction with Turkey Road and Gunter's Lane in northern Bexhill. The site at Gunter's Lane is generally level at an estimated elevation of 30m above Ordnance Datum.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 4. Archaeological and Historical Background
4.1.TIMESCALES USED IN THIS REPORT:
PERIOD FROM TO
PREHISTORIC PALAEOLITHIC 450,000 12,000 BC
MESOLITHIC 12,000 4,000 BC
NEOLITHIC 4,000 1,800 BC
BRONZE AGE 1,800 600 BC
IRON AGE 600 43 AD
HISTORIC ROMAN 43 410 AD
EARLY MEDIEVAL 410 1066 AD
MEDIEVAL 1066 1485 AD
POST MEDIEVAL 1485 PRESENT
4.2.Examination of data from cartographic records, the East Sussex SMR and various published and unpublished sources suggest the site lies in an area that contains potential for archaeology from most periods.
4.3.A search of the East Sussex Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) within a 1km radius of the study site reveals a number of archaeological find spots dating from the Mesolithic to the Post Medieval period.
4.4.It is not the aim of this assessment to present a complete history of Bexhill from earliest times, nor is it the intention of this report to examine every artefact found in the local area. Rather, the aim of this assessment is to review the data available and to use this to construct a model of the potential archaeology of the specific study site.
4.5.PREHISTORIC
4.5.1. The majority of evidence from Prehistoric periods within the SMR is found to the south of the site amongst the late Victorian and Edwardian development, where archaeological investigations revealed settlement
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 activity beginning in the Mesolithic
4.5.2. The relative lack of Prehistoric evidence in the immediate area is likely to be representative of both a lack of archaeological investigation and the destruction of Prehistoric remains during Post Medieval development.
PALAEOLITHIC
4.5.3. There are no recorded finds within the SMR dating to the Palaeolithic period.
MESOLITHIC
4.5.4. Mesolithic worked flint was found during trial trenching near Bexhill West railway station in Terminus Road in 2005 (EES14302). No Mesolithic finds are reported in the immediate study site area.
4.5.5. A Mesolithic tranchet axe was found in the area of the dismantled railway north east of the Gunter's Lane site although the date and exact location of the find are not recorded (MES129).
4.5.6. There are no Mesolithic finds reported in close proximity to the study site and no further evidence of activity from this period. The area was likely to have been heavily forested and used for hunting activities, with settlement on higher ground. The potential for Mesolithic activity at the site should be considered low.
NEOLITHIC
4.5.7. The East Sussex SMR records some low- density evidence of activity around the study site during the Neolithic period.
4.5.8. Neolithic flint scrapers were recorded in the allotments on Terminus Road adjoining Bexhill West station in 1952 (MES69). These are now on display in Bexhill Museum.
4.5.9. Fire fractured flint and Neolithic pebble wasters were recovered from 49 Terminus Avenue near the railway station during an archaeological evaluation in 2005 (EES14276).
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 4.5.10.A leaf-shaped arrowhead and a portion of a Neolithic unpolished flint axehead was found in a garden in Cantelupe Road, close to the railway line in 1952 (MES76).
4.5.11.This evidence suggests the general region around the site was exploited during the Neolithic period. However, due to a general scarcity of evidence for activity during this period, the archaeological potential for significant remains in the study area can be considered low, with a moderate potential for scattered remains.
BRONZE AGE
4.5.12.Remnants of a petrified Bronze Age forest can be found on the beach at Pett Level, Bexhill (WOODCOCK 2003: 6).
4.5.13.A small barbed and tanged Bronze Age arrow head was found in a mole-hill in Collington Wood in 1934 (MES64).
4.5.14.A broken barbed and tanged flint arrowhead was found exposed on the surface of the ground after a gorse fire on Bexhill Down c. 1926 (MES65).
4.5.15.A Bronze Age triangular flint arrowhead was found in Sidley Wood by the Hastings Area Archaeology Research Group in 1986 (MES125).
4.5.16.Trial excavation at 49 Terminus Avenue in 2006 by Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group found a substantial quantity of fire fractured flint, Neolithic/Bronze Age pebble wasters and Late Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age pottery.
4.5.17.Given the above, it is evident that the area around Bexhill was likely part of a wider heavily wooded landscape exploited during the Bronze Age. The probability of Bronze Age activity on the site should therefore be considered low with moderate potential for scattered remains.
IRON AGE
4.5.18.The search of the SMR did not reveal any remains that have been dated to the Iron Age period. It is possible that exploitation of the landscape continued from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age period.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 4.5.19.An unstratified tetradrachm of Tyre (81BC) was found in digging the foundation of a house in Sutherland Avenue in 1931, although the exact provenance and further information regarding this find is unknown (MES70).
4.5.20.It is likely that the wider landscape was in use during the Iron Age, due to the iron smelting industry known to have occurred from the Iron Age in the High Weald. The potential for archaeological evidence from this period at the Gunter's Lane site however should be considered low.
4.6.ROMAN
4.6.1. The closest major Roman settlement to Bexhill is located at Beaufort Park, Battle.
4.6.2. Within the vicinity of the study site there is some evidence of Roman activity. A bloomery, or iron smelting site was found at 36 Meadow Crescent, Sidley and this has been dated loosely to the Roman and Medieval periods.
4.6.3. In accordance with the above the potential for Roman activity on the site should be considered low/moderate. The potential for settlement features in situ is considered low, with a moderate potential for the discovery of unstratified remains or Roman material deposited in later contexts.
4.7.MEDIEVAL
4.7.1. The Hundred of Bexhill was 1 of 16 Hundreds in the Rape of Hastings, one of 6 Rapes, or traditional sub-divisions, of pre-conquest Sussex.
4.7.2. Documentary evidence suggests that a settlement at Bexelei, existed from Saxon times (VCH). The origins of the name are thought to originate from the Old English leah, a glade where box grows.
4.7.3. A charter, the 'Catularum Saxonicum' records that King Offa of Mercia made a grant of 8 hides of land, equal to nearly 500 acres at Bexelei to Oswald, Bishop of Selsey on 15th August 772, with reversion to the See of Selsey on his death, in order to build and endow a church. (VCH).
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 4.7.4. In 1878, restoration of the Church of St. Peter revealed a pre-Conquest coffin slab with carved herringbone stonework that dates to the 11th century but reflects the Hiberno – Saxon style of Northumbria that dates to the 8th century. A reliquary lid that dates stylistically to the 8th century hangs on the church wall, although there is no evidence for how or when it arrived in Bexhill (MES68).
4.7.5. The manor of Bexelei was held by the Bishop of Selsey within the Bexelei Hundred at the time of Domesday, valued at £20 and contained 20 hides. (VCH). Domesday mentions 2 churches at Bexhill, St Peter's, the endowment of Offa, and one at Northeye, which stood at the height of Hill Farm north of Barnhorn Road.
4.7.6. William the Conquerer gave Bexelei to Robert, Count of Eu, as part of the Lordship of the Rape of Hastings. During the Norman Conquest of 1066 it appears that the hamlet of Bexelei was largely destroyed. Domesday notes that Bexelei was 'waste' in 1066 and was worth £18 10s in 1086.
4.7.7. In 1075, the seat of the Bishopric of Selsey was moved from Bexhill to Chichester by William the Conqueror. In 1148, the manor of Bexhill was returned to the Church and the first manor house was built. This was then rebuilt with a later manor house in 1250 (MES67).
4.7.8. In 1276, a large portion of Bexhill was made into a park for hunting and in 1447 Bishop Adam de Moleyns was given permission to fortify the Manor House. The main village settlement at Bexhill, was south of the study site in the area now known as Bexhill Old Town.
4.7.9. An SMR search reveals two Medieval iron working sites from within the search area. Evidence for a bloomery was found at 36 Meadow Crescent, Sidley to the east of the site at Gunter's Lane, that may date to the late Medieval period (MES114). Another site with evidence for cinders was found north east of Sidley Station north of the railway cutting, and known locally as 'Cinderbanks Field' (MES66).
4.7.10.A find of late Medieval light smooth part-glazed pottery handles was found by Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group in Sidley Wood in 1986
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 (MES126).
4.7.11.The study site area does not fall within the area of the Medieval village settlement at Bexhill, which was located further to the south. It is likely that the study site was used as agricultural land throughout most of the Medieval period, although iron working and industrial use of the land is known from the area.
4.7.12.The possibility for activity from the Saxon to Medieval periods on site should therefore be considered low to moderate, with a moderate potential for evidence of agricultural exploitation of the land.
4.8.POST MEDIEVAL
4.8.1. The manor of Beckeshill was removed from the Church during the reign of Henry VIII. In 1603, under Queen Elizabeth I, the manor and lands belonging to it were granted to her mothers cousin Richard Sackville, Earl of Dorset. The manor remained in the possession of the Dukes of Dorset until 1813, when the male line died out, and it passed into the hands of Elizabeth Sackville, who married the 5th Earl De La Warr, and the manor passed into the De La Warr family. The manor house was demolished in 1968 and the landscaped ruins are in Manor House Public Gardens, Bexhill (MES67).
4.8.2. During the Napoleonic Wars, Martello Towers 45 – 50 were erected at Bexhill, these are small defended forts that which were built all over England at this time. The site of 46 has been built over and the rest have been destroyed by coastal erosion (MES83).
4.8.3. Various Georgian buildings can be found in Bexhill Old Town, with a listed lychgate (MES99), house (MES103)and cottage (MES102) at Church Street.
4.8.4. The 1840 Tithe Map shows the area around the settlement of Bexhill was still a mixture of rough and farmed pasture, arable land with fairly high concentration of farms dotted around the landscape. The site area is shown as lying in a mixture of arable field and meadow. The chief crops are noted as wheat, peas, oats and beans, grown in a soil of loam and clay.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 4.8.5. Development of Bexhill began in the 1870's towards the south of the Old Town, and in 1882 the 7th Earl De La Warr commenced with the development of the small village, approximately half a mile away from the coast, into a resort, similar to settlements such as St. Leonard's and Hastings. He commissioned a sea wall to protect low lying marshes to the east of the village and laid out a promenade. Bexhill – on – Sea saw a period of rapid development over a forty year period.
4.8.6. However, the site at Gunter's Lane remained agricultural fields for most of this period of development. At the time of the First Edition Ordnance Survey, the area around Gunter's Lane was fields associated with nearby farms. The field boundaries shown follow a similar one to today. The map shows farm buildings to the north, west and east of the study site, labelled Clinchgreen Farm, Whitehouse Farm and Ellerslie.
4.8.7. A windmill stands to the side of Gunter's Lane in modern Old Mill Lane along with a bakery. This East Sussex type post-mill was first documented in 1784 although it is believed to have been constructed earlier than this (BRUNNARUS 1979:95 6). It stood until 1965 when it collapsed, the windmill is Grade 1 listed.
4.8.8. At the time of the 1899 Ordnance Survey the site remained undeveloped. Woodsgate Farm is now referred to as Woodsgate Park, and some extension of the farm buildings can be seen further to the east of the site.
4.8.9. The area around the site remained relatively unchanged in the 1909 Ordnance Survey, at which point earthworks were constructed around a building north of Woodsgate Park. The Gunter's Lane site remains under fields. The 1930 Ordnance Survey shows streets and housing constructed on the east side of Gunter's Lane, and south along Down's Road.
4.8.10.Aside from the construction of the school buildings on the site, the site has remained as fields through out the Post Medieval period. Archaeological potential from the post-medieval period is therefore considered to be low, with the main potential for remains related to the agricultural use of the land.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 5. Site Conditions and the Proposed Redevelopment
5.1.SITE CONDITIONS
5.1.1. The site is located of Gunters Lane on the outskirts of Bexhill.
5.1.2. The site is currently in use as a school and consists of several school buildings and several large playing fields and athletics tracks.
5.1.3. It is likely that the construction of the school buildings in the northern part of the site will have destroyed any archaeological remains which may have been within their footprint.
5.1.4. However the lack on development across the rest of the site means that any archaeological deposits across the rest of the site should be fairly well preserved.
5.2.PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT
5.2.1. At the time of writing the preferred scheme for the development consists of one new building within site D and a redeveloped building in site A on the site of the existing school building (FIGURE 8). The main facility will be founded upon a ground bearing slab with a reinforced concrete frame and decks ie. shallow foundations. The building will be cut into the ground at the northern end of the site. The construction of this building will involve significant excavation of the ground in this area which will inevitably have a significant effect on any archaeological remains which survive in its footprint.
5.2.2. Two separate access roads will take parents and staff to the front of the school and deliveries to the schools service yard. Full construction details are not yet known for these roads, however it will undoubtedly involve at least a topsoil strip and possible land levelling, this may have a moderate effect on any archaeological deposits surviving in its footprint.
5.2.3. The rest of the site will consist of three sports pitches on sites C, E, F. Site B will contain athletics tracks, cricket pitches. Once again construction details were not available, but it is thought likely that the construction of these
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 pitches will have a minimal effect on any archaeological deposits, unless it significant ground levelling is involved in their construction.
5.2.4. In general the areas of impact of the proposed development will be very localised and confined primarily to the proposed building within site D. Any archaeological deposits in site A have likely already been truncated by the existing building.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 6. Summary and Conclusions
6.1.A site at Gunter's Lane, Bexhill is proposed for redevelopment. The site is currently occupied by a school with associated playing fields.
6.2.Examination of the available data indicates that the site does not contain any known archaeological deposits of national importance or any Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
6.3.There is no known evidence to suggest there was any activity in the area of the study site in the Palaeolithic period. Some activity is noted in the study area from the Mesolithic and the wider landscape was likely exploited from this period forward. There is no evidence to suggest the site was a focus of settlement during these periods.
6.4.Throughout the Medieval and early Post Medieval period the settlement of Bexhill was a small village with scattered satellite farms and cottages in the vicinity to the south east of the Gunter's Lane site. The site area was likely held within the church lands of Bexhill Manor throughout this period for agricultural use.
6.5.During the late Victorian period Bexhill increases in importance, however the site area remains undeveloped throughout the Post Medieval period until the early 20th century when the school and school playing fields were constructed on the site.
6.6.The proposed redevelopment will have a localised impact on the any surviving archaeological remains, this will mainly be limited to the new build construction in area D.
6.7.However considering the potential for unexplored archaeology on site there is a possibility that the Rother District Council may require a programme of archaeological works at the site in order to better understand the survival of buried archaeology, this should be confined primarily to the areas of impact as identified.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 FIGURES
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3
FIGURE 6 // OS 1909
PROJECT // 0659L-Gunters Lane
DESCRIPTION // OS 1909
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1 FIGURE 7// OS 1939
PROJECT // 0659L-Gunters Lane
DESCRIPTION // OS 1939
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1 FIGURE 8// Proposed Redevelopment
PROJECT // 0659L-Gunters Lane
DESCRIPTION // Proposed Redevelopment
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1 SOURCES CONSULTED APPENDIX 1
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3 BIBLIOGRAPHIC BARTLEY L J, 1971. The Story of Bexhill Parsons, london BRODRIBB G, 1972. A note on the Beauport Park Roman Iron Works, in bulletin of the wealdean iron research group 3.1972, 4-5 BRUNNARIUS M, 1979. The Windmills of Sussex Philimore & Co. Ltd, Chichester MARGARY I D, 1967. Roman Roads in Britain. John Baker, London. PORTER J, 2004 Bexhill-on-Sea – a history. Philimore & Co. Ltd, Chichester SALZMAN, 1940. A History of the County of Sussex, Volume V. University of London. VANN J M, 2002. The High Woods of Bexhill. Rother Reprographics, Bexhill WOODCOCK 1978. The Palaeolithic in Sussex, in PL Drewett (ed.) Archaeology in Sussex to AD1500, CBA Res Rep 29, 8-14. WYMER J, 1999. The Lower Palaeolithic Occupation of Britain. 1st Edition. Wessex Archaeology and English Heritage.
DOC REF: LP0659L-DBA-v1.3