Millbay Docks Millbay Road Plymouth
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MILLBAY DOCKS MILLBAY ROAD PLYMOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF AND HISTORIC BUILDING RECORDING For MORRISON CONSTRUCTION CA PROJECT: 3097 CA REPORT: 10188 FEBRUARY 2011 MILLBAY DOCKS MILLBAY ROAD PLYMOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF AND HISTORIC BUILDING RECORDING CA PROJECT: 3097 CA REPORT: 10188 prepared by Mark Brett, Senior Project Officer, Peter Davenport, Senior Publication Officer date 18 February 2011 checked by Laurent Coleman, Project Manager date 21 February 2011 approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts signed date 21 February 2011 issue 01 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 Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth: Archaeological Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 3 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 4 2. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 8 3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 10 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 12 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 12 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 15 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 16 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 The site, showing location of wall 105 and gate 107 (1:1250) Fig. 3 Wall 105, looking north-east. Scales both 1m Fig. 4 Gate 107, detail, looking south. Scale 1m Fig. 5 Overall view of the exposed elements of the 1858 Inner Basin gates, 107, looking south-east. Scale 1m Fig. 6 Plymouth Great Western Docks Plan, c.1880 Fig. 7 Aerial view of Millbay Docks from the south-east, 1961 Fig. 8 Blocked original entrance to Inner Basin (between arrows), looking south Fig. 9 Remains of dock gate, dredged from Inner Basin. Scale 2m Fig. 10 Swing-bridge pit, eastern side of entrance to Inner Basin, looking south Fig. 11 Swing-bridge pit, the central pivot chamber, access and ram chambers, looking north-west Fig. 12 Swing bridge pit, looking east: the southern supports for east end of the bridge arm when closed. The iron grill protected the pit edge from road traffic Fig. 13 Swing bridge pit, general view, looking north-west Fig. 14 Remains of timber piles, dredged from Inner Basin. Scale 2m 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth: Archaeological Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording Fig. 15 GWR (Swindon) Design Drawing no. 11 for the swing bridge at Millbay Dock, dated 1896 Fig. 16 GWR (Swindon) Design Drawing no. 4 for the new entrance into Millbay Dock and the blocking of the old one, dated 1897 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth: Archaeological Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording SUMMARY Project Name: Millbay Docks Location: Millbay Road, Plymouth NGR: SX 4680 5410 Type: Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording Date: 7 May – 7 June 2010 Planning References: 09/01507/FUL and 09/1506/LBC Location of Archive: To be deposited with Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery Accession Number: AR2010.13 Site Code: MLB 10 Archaeological watching brief and building recording were undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during engineering works associated with the repair and refurbishment of quay walls and revetments at Millbay Inner Basin and Clyde Quay, Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth. The watching brief identified the blocking of the original entrance to the Inner Basin of 1857, as well as the western end of the eastern wall of the entrance and the original dock gates which were incorporated into the new section of wall when the entrance to the dock was moved in the late 19th century. In addition, the watching brief recorded the remains of two large wooden gates that were dredged from the Inner Basin. These are thought to represent either the original lock gates which were damaged and sunk during a storm in 1858, or, more probably, those associated with a graving dock located on the western side of the Inner Basin. A section of long, timber piles braced together with iron rods and plates was also recovered and recorded. The building recording survey recorded the remains of the Swing Bridge Arm associated with the relocated entrance to the Inner Basin and the walls of the entrance itself. Great Western Railway (GWR) engineering office design drawings for the bridge and the new entrance to the dock were located and provided further details no longer extant. No finds were recovered during the programme of archaeological works. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth: Archaeological Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between May and June 2010 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an a programme of archaeological works comprising a watching brief and building recording for Morrison Construction at Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth (centred on NGR: SX 4680 5410; Fig. 1). The archaeological watching brief and building recording was undertaken to fulfil a condition (no. 2) attached to a Listed Building Consent for repair and recording works to some of the Listed walls of the Clyde Quay, Inner Basin (Planning ref: Plymouth Council 09/01506/LBC). The objectives of the watching brief were to preserve by record any archaeological deposits within excavations associated with the redevelopment and to ensure that the agreed foundation scheme was adhered to. The objective of the building recording was to produce a record, written, drawn and photographic, of the buildings and structures in their current state, prior to redevelopment. The brief also required an assessment of the readily available documentary evidence for the site. This consisted of the consultation of information held at the Plymouth Historic Environment Record; historical documents held at the Plymouth and West Devon Records Office; information held by the Local Studies collection of the Plymouth City Library and consultation with the Maritime Heritage Officer at Plymouth Museum. 1.2 The assessment of historical sources, the watching brief and building recording were carried out in accordance with the Brief for an Archaeological Watching Brief and Recording Programme issued by Plymouth City Council (PCC 2009), and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2010). The watching brief was also undertaken in accordance with the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief issued by the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA 2008), whilst the building recording was carried out in compliance with the Standard and Guidance for the Archaeological Investigation and Recording of Standing Buildings or Structures (IfA 2008) and Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Practice (EH 2006). The works were also undertaken in accordance with the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE) (EH 2006). The site 1.3 Millbay Docks are located to the east of the Stonehouse Peninsular c. 1.5km to the west of the historic core of Plymouth. Further docks and harbours are located to the 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Millbay Docks, Millbay Road, Plymouth: Archaeological Watching Brief and Historic Building Recording west (Stonehouse and Devonport) and the east (Sutton Harbour and Cattewater). The engineering works extended over an area of approximately 4.5ha, comprising the Inner Basin at Millbay and associated structures. The site is bounded to the east by East Quay, to the south by the Outer Basin, to the west by the Ferry Terminal and to the north by North Quay and Millbay Road (Fig. 2). Archaeological and historical background 1.4 No recorded archaeological work has been carried out on the site prior to the current project, but documentary and published sources and information from the Maritime Heritage Officer, Plymouth Museum, allow the following summary. 1.5 Millbay originated as a natural inlet, lying to the south of a large area of marshland recorded in early documents as the ‘Sourpool’. The earliest documentary sources record the erection of a mill at the neck between the Sourpool and the inlet in the 12th century. This mill appears to be the origin of the name Millbay, and probably remained in existence until the 18th century (Langley and Small, 1987). A 1796 landscape watercolour records two small buildings across a causeway in the north- eastern area of the inlet, which may be these mill buildings (Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (PCMAG) collection). The Sourpool was drained in the 16th century, concurrently with the construction of Union Street across the former marshland (Langley and Small 1987). 1.6 Drake’s Leat, constructed in