Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment and Trial Trench Evaluation on Land at the Old School Site, Polesworth, Warwickshire April 2016

Archaeological desk-based heritage assessment and trial trench evaluation on land at The Old School Site, Polesworth, Warwickshire April 2016

Report No. 16/102

Authors: Mary Ellen Crothers and Jonathan Elston

Illustrators: Joanne Clawley Olly Dindol

______ MOLA Northampton MOLA Project Manager: Mark Holmes Bolton House Site Code: POS16 Wootton Hall Park NGR: SK 26365 02535 Northampton NN4 8BN 01604 809800 www.mola.org.uk [email protected]

Archaeological desk-based heritage assessment and trial trench evaluation on land at the Old School Site, Polesworth, Warwickshire April 2016

Report No. 16/102

Quality control and sign off: Issue Date Checked by: Verified by: Approved by: Reason for Issue: No. approved: 1 07/06/16 S Parry Draft for client review 2 18/10/16 M Holmes Final version

Authors: Mary Ellen Crothers and Jonathan Elston

Illustrators: Joanne Clawley and Olly Dindol

 MOLA Northampton 2016

MOLA Bolton House Wootton Hall Park Northampton NN4 8BN 01604 809 800 www.mola.org.uk [email protected]

MOLA Northampton is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company registration number 8727508 and charity registration number 1155198. Registered office: Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED. THE OLD SCHOOL SITE, POLESWORTH

STAFF

Project Manager: Mark Holmes BA MA MCIfA Text: Desk Based Assesment: Mary Ellen Crothers BA MA Text: Fieldwork: Jonathan Elston Fieldwork: Jonathan Elston Esther Poulus MSc George Everest-Dine BA MA Illustrations: Joanne Clawley BA MSc Olly Dindol BSc Pottery: Paul Blinkhorn BTech

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OASIS REPORT FORM PROJECT DETAILS OASIS molanort1-261569 Archaeological desk based assessment and trial trench evaluation on land at Project title the Old School site, Polesworth, Warwickshire, April 2016 A desk-based assessment (DBA) was conducted in February 2016 and in April 2016 an archaeological trial trench evaluation was carried out by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) on land at the Old School site, Polesworth, Warwickshire. The scope of works was commissioned by Hawkins and Harrison acting on behalf of the Trustees of the Sir Francis Nethersole Foundation. The site lies to the north of the site of Polesworth Abbey, a Scheduled Monument and within the Polesworth Conservation Area. A further Scheduled Monument, Polesworth Bridge, lies to the south- west. Sixteen Listed Buildings lie within a 1km radius of the site, five of which are Grade II*, including the Abbey Gatehouse to the west of the site and the Church of Editha to the south. There is very little evidence in the area which predates the establishment of the abbey and Saxon church. The site lies at the northern boundary of the former abbey precinct and within the historic medieval settlement of Polesworth which prospered during the post-medieval period through the construction of the Coventry Canal, the pottery industry and collieries. Recent community excavations during Dig the Abbey revealed the locations of timber structures and the pre-Conquest cemetery, chapter house, reredorter and frater. After the Dissolution, a manor house was built at the abbey which was later replaced by Polesworth vicarage. Open cast mining has taken place immediately to the east of the site within the former abbey precinct, which may have denuded earlier archaeological remains. Cartographic evidence suggests the site has been partially developed throughout the post-medieval period. Buildings illustrated on the 1850 tithe map may have origins in the medieval period and have since been demolished but the Infants School has survived. The fieldwork identified that along the northern boundary of the site were post-medieval building remains and occupation levels that are likely to extend across the frontage of High Street. The central and eastern areas had buildings associated with the old school with undated features in the south and western areas of the site. Project type Trial trench evaluation Previous work Desk-based assessment Current land use Carpark and grass area around building of old school Future work Unknown Monument type Lies within Abbey croft of Polesworth Abbey. Scheduled monument and period 1005735 Significant finds None PROJECT LOCATION County Warwickshire Site address The Old School Site, High Street, Polesworth Easting Northing SK 26365 02535 Area (sq m/ha) 0.6 ha Height aOD c 68m AOD PROJECT CREATORS Organisation MOLA Project Design MOLA originator Director/Supervisor Jonathan Elston Project Managers Mark Holmes Sponsor or funding Hawkins and Harrison body PROJECT DATE Start date 01/02/2016 End date 07/04/2016 ARCHIVES Location Contents Physical POS16 Site records (1 archive box) Paper Warwickshire HER Client report PDF. Survey Data, Digital Photographs BIBLIOGRAPHY Archaeological desk based assessment and trial trench evaluation at The Title Old School Site, Polesworth, Warwickshire, April 2016 Serial title & volume MOLA Northampton Report 16/102 Author(s) Mary Ellen Crothers and Jonathan Elston Page numbers 78 pages of text and figures Date October 2016

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Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

2 LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

3 DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT

3.1 Introduction 3.2 Policy background 3.3 Sources consulted

4 HERITAGE ASSESSMENT

4.1 Designated heritage assets 4.2 Statement of Significance by Nicolas Palmer 4.3 Archaeological and historical background 4.4 Cartographic evidence 4.5 Previous archaeological work

5 IMPACT ASSESSMENT

5.1 The proposed development 5.2 Impact assessment 5.3 Significance

6 CONCLUSION

7 TRIAL TRENCHING AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

8 METHODOLOGY

9 THE EXCAVATED EVIDENCE

9.1 General comments 9.2 Late medieval 9.3 Post-medieval occupation 9.4 Undated features

10 THE POTTERY by Paul Blinkhorn

11 DISCUSSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT INDEX

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Figures

Front cover: General view facing north-east. Fig 1: Site Location Fig 2: View from the north-west corner of site, looking south Fig 3: View from the east boundary of site, looking west Fig 4: View from the south-east corner of site, looking north-east Fig 5: View from south-west corner, looking north-east Fig 6: View of St Editha’s Church from the southern boundary, looking south Fig 7: View of former Infants School, looking south-east Fig 8: Historic Environment Record (HER) Monuments data Fig 9: Historic Environment Record (HER) Events and Listed Buildings data Fig 10: A drawing by Penelope Greasley (1855) depicting the abbey Gatehouse in Old Polesworth by Jean Wood Fig 11: The corn mill on the River Anker in Old Polesworth by Jean Wood Fig 12: Saxton’s map of the County of Warwick, 1576 Fig 13: Blome’s map of the County of Warwick, 1673 Fig 14: Jefferys’ map of Warwickshire, 1787 Fig 15: Polesworth tithe map, 1850 Fig 16: Ordnance Survey First Edition map, 1887 Fig 17: Ordnance Survey Second Edition map 1903 Fig 18: Ordnance Survey Third Edition map, 1923 Fig 19: Ordnance Survey map, 1939 Fig 20: Excavated trenches Fig 21: Pit [131], looking north Fig 22: Trench 3, section 6 and plan Fig 23: Gully [305], looking west Fig 24: Trench 3, section 6 and plan Fig 25: West end of trench 1, looking north Fig 26: Cobbled surfaces [109] and [119], looking north Fig 27: Trench 1, section 13 and plan Fig 28: Sandstone wall [121] and brick wall [120], looking north Fig 29: Hand dug slot in cellar [110], looking north-west Fig 30: Trench 2 plan Fig 31: Building [204], looking north-west Fig 32: Trench 8 plan Fig 33: Pit [807], looking east Fig 34: Deposit (803), looking north-east Fig 35: Trench 8, looking south Fig 36: Wall [805], looking south-east Fig 37: Trench 5, looking south-east Fig 38: Trench 4 plan Fig 39: Fire pit [411] and gully [409], looking west Fig 40: Posthole [414], looking east Fig 41: Trench 6 plan Fig 42: Ditch [606], looking south Fig 43: Wall [607] looking north Fig 44: Tree throw, looking south

Tables Table 1: Historic Environment Record (HER) Monuments data Table 2: Historic Environment Record (HER) Events and Listed Buildings data Table 3: Criteria for assessing the relative importance of cultural heritage sites Table 4: Pottery occurrence by number and weight (in g) of sherds per context by fabric type

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Archaeological desk-based assessment and trial trench evaluation on land at the Old School Site Polesworth, Warwickshire April 2016

Abstract

A desk-based assessment (DBA) was conducted in February 2016 and in April 2016 an archaeological trial trench evaluation was carried out by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) on land at the Old School site, Polesworth, Warwickshire. The scope of works was commissioned by Hawkins and Harrison acting on behalf of the Trustees of the Sir Francis Nethersole Foundation.

The site lies to the north of the site of Polesworth Abbey, a Scheduled Monument and within the Polesworth Conservation Area. A further Scheduled Monument, Polesworth Bridge, lies to the south-west. Sixteen Listed Buildings lie within a 1km radius of the site, five of which are Grade II*, including the Abbey Gatehouse to the west of the site and the Church of Editha to the south.

There is very little evidence in the area which predates the establishment of the abbey and Saxon church. The site lies at the northern boundary of the former abbey precinct and within the historic medieval settlement of Polesworth which prospered during the post-medieval period through the construction of the Coventry Canal, the pottery industry and collieries. Recent community excavations during Dig the Abbey revealed the locations of timber structures and the pre-Conquest cemetery, chapter house, reredorter and frater. After the Dissolution, a manor house was built at the abbey which was later replaced by Polesworth vicarage. Open cast mining has taken place immediately to the east of the site within the former abbey precinct, which may have denuded earlier archaeological remains.

Cartographic evidence suggests the site has been partially developed throughout the post-medieval period. Buildings illustrated on the 1850 tithe map may have origins in the medieval period and have since been demolished but the Infants School has survived.

The fieldwork identified that along the northern boundary of the site were post- medieval building remains and occupation levels that are likely to extend across the frontage of High Street. The central and eastern areas had buildings associated with the old school with undated features in the south and western areas of the site.

1 INTRODUCTION

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) carried out a desk-based assessment in February 2016 followed by an archaeological trial trench evaluation in April 2016 on land at the Old School site, Polesworth, Warwickshire (NGR: SK 26365 02535; Fig 1). The work was commissioned by Hawkins and Harrison on behalf of the Trustees of the Sir Francis Nethersole foundation and undertaken in response to a forthcoming

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planning application for potential development of the land and associated buildings on the old school site.

The site lies within an area of archaeological interest due to its location within the precinct of Polesworth Abbey, which was founded in the late Saxon period. Located in an area known as the Abbey Croft on the northern edge of the Abbey, the site is adjacent to High Street which was a medieval thoroughfare leading west past the abbey gatehouse to Bridge Street. The former Polesworth High School and a 19th- century infants school still occupy the site along with the Polesworth Learning Centre.

Consequently, a programme of archaeological investigation within the proposed development area (PDA) was requested by the Warwickshire County Council Planning Archaeologist (WPA). The requirements of the site investigation were outlined in a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) prepared by MOLA (Crothers 2016) and approved by the WPA.

The evaluation was carried out following the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ standard and guidance for archaeological desk-based assessment (CIfA 2014a), their standard and guidance for archaeological evaluations (CIfA 2014b) and their Code of Conduct (CIfA 2014c). All stages of the project were undertaken in accordance with Historic England, Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE) (HE 2015) and In accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012).

2 LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

The proposed development area is situated in the grounds of the former Polesworth High School and the Polesworth Learning Centre. It comprises 0.6ha of land bounded to the north by High Street, to the south by the current graveyard of St Editha’s and residential properties to the east and west (NGR SK 26365 02535, Fig 1).

The site topography is generally flat, lying at around 68.0m above Ordnance Datum (aOD). The bedrock across the site is Pennine Middle Coal Measure formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone which is overlain by river terrace deposits of sand and gravel (BGS geoindex-bgs.ac.uk).

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Tamworth Polesworth

Warwickshire Coventry

Warwick

0 500m

OS OpenData contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2016 Site location

Scale 1:15,000 Site location Fig 1 THE OLD SCHOOL SITE, POLESWORTH

3 DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT.

3.1 Introduction

MOLA was commissioned by Howkins and Harrison to produce an archaeological desk-based heritage assessment of land for proposed development at The Old School Site, Polesworth, Warwickshire (NGR SK 426365 302535; Fig 1).

The aim of the assessment was to collate information about the known or potential archaeological resource within the development area; including its presence or absence, character and extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and relative quality. The work has been undertaken in accordance with the CIfA standard and guidance for archaeological desk-based assessment (CIfA 2014a) and the CIfA Code of Conduct (CIfA 2014c). Historic England guidance documents concerning the setting of heritage assets were also consulted (HE 2015a).

3.2 Policy background

National policy-The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) provides national guidance on the preservation, management and investigation of the parts of the historic environment that are historically, archaeologically, architecturally or artistically significant and are known as heritage assets (DCLG 2012). The NPPF replaced PPS5 in March 2012, which in turn replaced Planning Policy Guidance Notes 15 and 16 (PPG 15 and 16) in March 2010.

The framework covers those heritage assets that possess a level of interest sufficient to justify designation as well as those that are not designated but which are of heritage interest and are thus a material planning consideration. Where nationally important archaeological remains are affected by development then there should be a presumption in favour for their conservation.

Paragraph 128 states that 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 asset’s importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance.

Paragraph 129 states that 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 a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. Regional policy

The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy has been formally revoked by Statutory Order SI2013/933. This was laid in Parliament on 24th April 2013 and came into effect on 20th May 2013. Therefore the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy no longer forms part of the statutory development plan for Warwickshire.

Local policy-Policy NW14 Historic Environment of The North Warwickshire Local Plan Core Strategy states that The Council recognises the importance of the historic environment to the Borough’s local character, identity and distinctiveness, its cultural, social, environmental and economic benefits. The quality, character, diversity and local distinctiveness of the historic environment will be conserved and enhanced. In particular:

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• Within identified historic landscape character areas development will conserve, enhance and where appropriate, restore landscape character as well as promote a resilient, functional landscape able to adapt to climate change. Specific historic features which contribute to local character will be protected and enhanced.

• The quality of the historic environment, including archaeological features, Listed Buildings, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens, Conservation Areas and any non-designated assets; buildings, monuments, archaeological sites, places, areas or landscapes positively identified in North Warwickshire’s Historic Environment Record as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, will be protected and enhanced, commensurate to the significance of the asset.

• Wherever possible, a sustainable reuse of redundant historic buildings will be sought, seeking opportunities to address those heritage assets identified as most at risk.

The Site Allocations Plan will identify sites throughout the Borough for development up to 2028. It must be prepared in line with the policies in the Core Strategy which sets out the vision and objectives for the spatial development of the area. North Warwickshire Borough Council has identified the site of the former Polesworth High School as POL3 on the Site Allocations Plan and is a preferred option site within the development boundary.

View from the north-west corner of site, looking south Fig 2

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View from the east boundary of site, looking north-west Fig 3

View from the south-east corner of the site, looking north-west Fig 4

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View from south-west corner, looking north-east Fig 5

View of St Editha’s Church from southern boundary, looking south Fig 6

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View of former Infants School, looking south-east Fig 7

3.3 Sources consulted

The Warwickshire Historic Environment Record (HER) was consulted for documented historic environment assets within and around the proposed development area (Figs 8 and 9). A search area of 1km radius surrounding the proposed development area (PDA) was applied for under search number 16/020. A visit to the Warwickshire Record Office (NRO) was undertaken to check historic maps of the area, as well as any other relevant documents and local history books, including those held in MOLA Northampton library.

The online Historic England resource National Heritage List was consulted in order to identify designated heritage assets within the PDA (english- heritage.org.uk/professional/protection/process/national-heritage-list-for-england). The Historic England document The setting of heritage assets Historic environment good practice advice in planning: 3: (HE 2015) provides a basis upon which the assessment of impact upon the setting of heritage assets can be evaluated. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) online database was also consulted for information on artefacts found in the area.

4 HERITAGE ASSESSMENT

4.1 Designated heritage assets

The site lies within the precinct of Polesworth Abbey, Scheduled Monument SM1005735, an area which contained the abbey buildings and occupies land between the High Street, Bridge Street and the River Anker. It is also Scheduled under Warwickshire Number 199 which includes the Gatehouse (199a), a small area around a mound in the churchyard to the east of the church (199b) and a larger area

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in the south-east corner of the precinct south of the church including the vicarage gardens and fields to the south and east (199c) (Palmer 2011). Polesworth Bridge to the south-west of the site is also a Scheduled Monument (SM1005771; DWA604). There are no other Scheduled Monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens or Registered Battlefields either within or directly adjacent to the proposed development area. However, a number of Grade II and Grade II* Listed Buildings lie on High Street, Bridge Street and around the Church of St Editha.

The site lies within the Polesworth Conservation area north of the River Anker. The topography of the area is defined by the former Abbey precinct and two commercial streets of the medieval town, High Street and Bridge Street, along its northern and western boundaries (Palmer 2011).

Historic Landscape Characterisation data shows that the site falls broadly into area HWA1619 which is defined as Type 77 ‘Post 1955 detached housing in Polesworth’. The southern part of the site to the south and south-west of the modern school building falls into area HWA1615, defined as Type 64 ‘Historic settlement core

4.2 Statement of Significance by Nicolas Palmer

A Statement of Significance for the Polesworth Abbey site and the cult of St Editha has been prepared by Nicolas Palmer (2011) and is reproduced here as follows:

For the church community the primary significance of the abbey site is spiritual. This has been a Christian site for 1200 years; the traditional date for its foundation is 827 AD. Although the accounts of the founding of the abbey are largely legendary there is historical evidence that it was the resting place of St Editha, its founder-abbess, before the Viking period. A common factor in the St Editha legends are royal connections and she is likely to have been a princess from the nearby Mercian centre of Tamworth who, like many other Anglo-Saxon royal ladies, chose the religious life as head of a monastery. Respect for her piety and leadership will have lead [sic] to veneration of her memory and then to sainthood.

The Cult of St Editha was well rooted in the local area in the Middle Ages, as shown by church dedications in the vicinity, and she is one of relatively few Anglo-Saxon local saints to retain her significance into modern times. The existence of a local saint for Polesworth remains crucial for the abbey site today. Her memory is important to the ‘sense of place’, offering the faithful the opportunity to walk where she walked and pray where she prayed, to follow her path of holiness, and to serve the community locally where she lived out her baptismal life. In some ways the lack of known detail about her life allows each generation a possibility of reinvention. The pious nun shown in the 1869 stained glass window contrasts with the modern ‘free spirit’ shown in the 2002 sculpture by Guy Reid.

St Editha continues to be commemorated with annual festivals (sacred and more profane) when local people are invited to the historic site to enjoy festivals of music and performance in the place that is holy and where St Editha is close by. We seek especially to make this spiritual opportunity live for others and to pass it on, as the succession of nuns, abbesses and parish worshippers have in their turn, to coming generations and to welcome new audiences to experience this aspect of the site’s significance.

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4.3 Archaeological and historical background

Neolithic A fire-damaged flint scraper has been found to the north-east of the site and beyond the village near Stiper’s Plantation (MWA12233). A partially worked flint implement was found at the abbey site during excavations between 2011 and 2013 which could be dated to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (Holmes 2015).

Bronze Age A barbed and tanged flint arrowhead dating to the Bronze Age was found to the south-west of the site near Market Street (MWA221).

Iron Age No remains dating to the Iron Age period have been found in the vicinity of the proposed development site.

Roman The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) records two Roman bow brooches (WMID4168, WMID4169), three coins (WMID1214, WMID1215 and WMID1216) and an unidentified Roman object (WMID1218) from Polesworth, all made from copper alloy, although their findspots are unknown.

Saxon A nunnery was established in Polesworth sometime between 839 and 1066 AD but the nuns were reputedly expelled from the abbey during the Norman Conquest. The abbey was re-established in the 12th century by Robert Marmion II and the nuns were permitted to return to Polesworth (Palmer 2011). A Saxon church probably existed in Polesworth, and it is thought that the north aisle of the Abbey Church was added at the same site (WMA205, DWA607). Polesworth Abbey (MWA203) was later dissolved in 1539.

During the Dig the Abbey excavations at the abbey between 2011 and 2013, part of a cemetery comprising fourteen inhumations was excavated c40m to the west of the current church and a further three inhumations had been discovered during previous trial trenching by Warwickshire Museum. Radiocarbon dating of two burial samples placed them firmly in the mid to late Anglo-Saxon period; one was buried between the 8th and 9th centuries and the second during the 10th century (Holmes 2015).

Medieval Polesworth does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086. However, during the reign of King Stephen, Robert Marmion and his wife Millicent gave all their land there to the abbess and convent of Polesworth. The nuns were granted a weekly market and a yearly fair. They were also quit of shires, hundreds, and sheriff’s tourns and held view of frankpledge for an annual payment (VCH 1947). The location of the site of the market which was granted in 1242 is uncertain, but it is thought to lie to the south-west of the proposed development site on Bridge Street (MWA13149).

After the dissolution of Polesworth Abbey, the site of the house along with the lordship or manor of the town of Polesworth, was sold by the Crown to Francis Goodere in 1545 (VCH1947), whose son built a manor house (MWA207) on the site of the abbess’s lodgings (MWA206). The house was later replaced in about 1870 by the vicarage (DWA622), reusing some of the building material from the manor. A survey carried out in 1996 of the standing masonry of the abbey cloister (MWA5646) observed that the surviving structure had sixteen structural phases, most of which

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turned out to post-medieval (Palmer 1996). The mound in the churchyard east of the church was thought to be the site of a possible chapel associated with the abbey (MWA7495), but is since considered to be a 17th-century prospect mound associated with Polesworth Hall (Holmes 2015). The parish church of St Editha lies immediately to the south of the site (MWA5645, DWA607). The nave was constructed during the 12th century and was probably part of the priory buildings which served the parishioners (VCH 1947). During the excavation of a statue base in the interior of the church, a reburied medieval stone coffin and part of a brick vault were discovered. Medieval and later masonry was recorded during limited excavation outside the church, which may have belonged to either a monastic range west of the cloister, perhaps part of the Abbess’ lodging (Palmer and Coutts 2006; EWA9078, MWA205). Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse (MWA204, DWA623) stands close to the west of the site on the south side of High Street and is a Grade II* Listed Building. It is one of a few remaining upstanding parts of the abbey, along with the 11th-century cloister wall (DWA632) and the abbey church. Dendrochronological analysis of the structural timbers of the Gatehouse placed the felling date to between the late 1330s and early 1340s (Arnold and Howard 2007, EWA7769).

On the south side of the road Stiper’s Hill, earthworks survive of a castle built there soon after the Conquest by Richard Marmion which may have still been in existence in the 14th century (MWA13154). Recent Environment Agency LIDAR data show the faint remains of what is possibly a roughly rectangular bailey to the north. The 1817 surveyors’ drawings for the Ordnance Survey maps also appear to show a broadly similar earthwork.

Medieval ridge and furrow remains survive in Polesworth to the north-west of the site, north of Pooley Hall (MWA10271) and to the east of the railway line near Stiper’s Hill Castle. The medieval Wood Park (MWA13158) is situated to the south-east of Polesworth. Earthworks known there are thought to delineate the park pale, but these are not shown on Saxton’s map of 1576 (Fig 12).

The Chapel of St Leonard, also known as the Chapel of Hoo was built to the south- east of the site and was endowed with land by Roger de Grendon between 1100 and 1154 (MWA225). The site was discovered during the construction of the railway, when gravestones and skeletons were unearthed. A nearby obelisk records the demolition of the chapel in 1538 but nothing remains to indicate its location or plan.

Polesworth Bridge is a Scheduled Monument and lies at the southern end of Bridge Street across the River Anker (SM1005771; MWA212). A bridge is recorded here in 1221 and was in constant need of repair throughout much of the 17th century. It was taken over by the County in 1764, then was taken down and rebuilt in 1776 as Anker Bridge in the same location (DWA604; Grade II Listed Building). It was widened in 1924. An archaeological watching brief was undertaken at the bridge in 1999 to observe trenches outside the area of the Scheduled Monument. Part of the 1776 eastern bridge approach wall and an earlier wall on the south side were seen (Coutts 1999, EWA6746).

A watermill that was first built during the medieval period for milling corn lay to the south of the site and continued in use until the 20th century (MWA209).

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) records several items dating to the medieval period that have been found in Polesworth. The list includes cooking vessels (WMID4167, WMID4166,) a floor tile depicting the face of The Green Man (WMID3444), a seal matrix with an inscription meaning ‘I am of John’ (WMID3455), a

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casket (WMID2799), an unidentified early medieval object with ring and dot design (WMID1217). The Warwickshire HER records two medieval coins that were found near Polesworth Station (MWA10137).

A medieval cross fragment was found at the proposed development site during the construction of the Infants School in the late 19th century. One face contains the remains of a Crucifixion with the Blessed Virgin Mary on the right hand side (MWA219).

Post-medieval Pooley Hall (MWA228) lies to the north-west of the site and is a Grade II* Listed Building with its attached chapel (MWA227), and Pooley Hall Farmhouse (DWA779). It is said to have been built by Sir Thomas Cokayne in 1509. Pooley Hall garden possessed a deer park in 1610 but it was disparked by the mid-17th century (MWA12568).

Coal mining was a significant activity during the post-medieval period in the Polesworth area. Pooley Hall Colliery to the north of Pooley Hall was in use during the Imperial period (MWA6507). There was also a colliery wharf on the canal to the north of the colliery, where vessels transporting coal would have been loaded (MWA4386). A further coal pit is illustrated in the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1885 near Pooley Hall (MWA6527). Within the abbey site, archaeological trial trenching in 1976 in the field to the west of the vicarage revealed evidence of small scale open-cast mining pits and is likely to be datable to the 18th and 19th centuries (Mytum 1980). Tramways were also constructed to transport coal, two of which are known to lie to the west of the site and connected Birch Coppice Colliery No.1 and Polesworth Canal Basin (MWA13151, MWA13152). A third tramway connected Polesworth and Dordon (MWA6511) and a mineral railway once connected Pooley hall and the main line (MWA6512). The Coventry Canal (MWA4373) lies to the south and west of the River Anker and was constructed after a Parliamentary Act was passed in 1768 authorising a link from the Grand Trunk to Coventry. A canal basin lies on a bend in the canal to the south-west of the site near Bulls Head Bridge (MWA6506) and would have serviced the industrial areas of Polesworth to the south of the Anker.

A brickyard (MWA12237) and colliery (MWA12238) can be seen on the Polesworth tithe map of 1850 to the south-west of the site. Further industrial remains are also known in Polesworth and include a steam mill for grinding corn on the west side of Market Street (MWA218) and the site of Midlands Works on Tamworth Road, which made terracotta, bricks and sanitary pipes (MWA217). The site of a clay pipe factory lies to the south of Grendon Road that continued to be used into the 19th century (MWA6117). A corn mill lay to the east of Anker Bridge and is illustrated in the 1885 First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (MWA6505) (Fig 16). The site of a gravel pit is marked near Wood Park Farm (MWA6508) and a lime kiln is known on the north side of Limekiln Bridge (MWA6520), both illustrated on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map. A smithy was also situated immediately to the north-east of Bulls Head Bridge (MWA6520) and a pound was located to the south of Bassett’s Bridge (MWA6519).

Potters Lane to the south of the River Anker achieved its name from large scale pottery manufacture during the post-medieval period. The sites of kilns are known to the north of the lane (MWA8128, MWA5705) and a vast quantity of material has been recovered through archaeological excavation in the area. In 1986, pottery wasters and kiln furniture was found in foundation trenches at the eastern end of Potters Lane and indicated the range of products of the Polesworth industry, which included slip

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decorated vessels, lead glazed jugs, pancheons and jars, unglazed types including horticultural wares and finer yellow and black wares (Melton and Scott 1999). However, no evidence of the industry or archaeological material was observed during a subsequent archaeological watching brief at 52 Potters Lane in 2009 (EWA9452) and only 19th-and 20th-century sherds of pottery were found during a watching brief at 21 Potters Lane in 2008 (EWA9120). An archaeological evaluation to the north of Potters Lane did not reveal any evidence for kilns or the wider pottery industry either but a post-medieval boundary ditch visible on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map, a pit and a posthole were recorded (Gethin 2013; EWA10083).

A tithe barn (MWA211), also known as Tame Barn (DWA611), is a Grade II Listed Building built in the 17th-or early 18th century close to the west of the site, now used as a garage. A late 17th-century dovecote also lies in close proximity to the site and to the tithe barn and is also a Grade II Listed Building which initially had 489 nest holes but is now used as a store for the library (DWA624, MWA210).

Nethersole School was founded by Sir Francis Nethersole in 1638 and was first built in 1655 on the corner of Bridge Street and High Street (MWA216, MWA7850). School House and the attached wall, the Old School and parts formerly Listed as Numbers 1 and 2 are Grade II Listed Buildings (DWA606).

Polesworth vicarage lies close to the south-west of the site and was built in the early 1870s, incorporating 16th-century elements (MWA8913, DWA622; VCH 1947). The vicarage sundial lies close by and is a Grade II Listed Building (DWA608). It is constructed from a tall ashlar pillar and resembles an isolated gate pier and has a shaped top with a ball finial. It has apparently always been thought of as a sundial even though it has no dial (MWA208).

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) records several finds found through metal detecting and include a silver halfcrown of Charles I (WMID-202F72), a buckle (WMID4170), a weight (WMID4163), a strap fitting (WMID3492), a dress hook (WMID2153) and a finger ring (WMID2155).

An Infants School was constructed on the north-east side of the proposed development site in the late 19th century.

Modern Abbey Croft is a public space identified by Jonathan Lovie in 1997. It contains the remains of Polesworth Abbey (MWA203), churchyard, vicarage (DWA622) and former Abbey gatehouse (MWA204) and occupies the land that lies immediately to the south of the site, to the north of the river between the railway line and Bridge Street (MWA12497).

Table 1: Historic Environment Record (HER) Data References in bold fall within the proposed development site boundary Ref Description Location MWA10137 2 medieval coins 426856 303149 MWA10271 Ridge and furrow north of Pooley Hall 425889 303039 MWA12233 Flint scraper 427187 302856 MWA12237 Brickyard 425817 302269 MWA12238 Colliery 425830 302222 MWA12497 Abbey Croft 426530 302430 MWA12568 Pooley Hall garden 425850 202820 MWA13149 Possible site of market place 426150 302470

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Ref Description Location MWA13151 Tramway connecting Birch Coppice Colliery No 1 425390 301990 and Polesworth canal basin MWA13152 Tramway connecting Birch Coppice Colliery and 425450 301140 Polesworth canal basin MWA13154 Site if Stiper's Hill Castle 427120 302690 MWA13158 Site of Wood Park 427080 301740 MWA13194 Spread Eagle Inn 426290 302580 MWA13196 Bull's Head Public House, Tamworth Road 425810 202310 MWA203 Polesworth Abbey SM 1005735 426320 302450 MWA204 Polesworth Abbey gatehouse 426290 302550 MWA205 Polesworth Abbey church 426360 302430 MWA206 Site of Abbess's lodgings at Polesworth Abbey 426340 302420 MWA207 Site of manor house at Polesworth vicarage 426310 302400 MWA208 Vicarage sundial 426370 302380 MWA209 Site of Polesworth Mill 426180 302270 MWA210 Dovecote near St Editha's Church 426240 302490 MWA211 Tithe barn 426230 302520 MWA212 Polesworth Bridge 426090 302310 MWA216 School House, Polesworth 426200 302570 MWA217 Site of Midlands Works, Tamworth Road 425750 302190 MWA218 Steam Mill, Market Street 426030 302080 MWA219 Medieval cross fragment 426380 302530 MWA221 Bronze Age arrowhead 425990 302100 MWA225 Site of Chapel of St Leonard 427150 301800 MWA227 Pooley Hall chapel 425880 302800 MWA228 Pooley Hall 425880 302820 MWA2454 Baptist Chapel, The Gullet 425960 302050 MWA2470 Three terraced houses, Tamworth Road 425650 302300 MWA2473 Site of Little Jim's Cottage, Fairfields Hill 426000 302010 MWA2474 Polesworth Market, Market Street 426030 302060 MWA2476 Chetwynd Arms, Market Street 426010 302190 MWA2477 Site of The Ark, Grendon Street 426080 302210 MWA2478 House/shop, Bridge Street 426130 302430 MWA2479 Site of post-medieval timber house, Bridge Street 426120 302400 MWA2480 Range of post-medieval timber houses, Bridge St 426160 302460 MWA2481 The Red Lion, Bridge Street 426140 302500 MWA2482 19th-century house, Bridge Street 426160 302530 MWA2483 Shopping complex, Bridge Street 426200 302550 MWA2484 Site of 18th-century House, High Street 426220 302560 MWA2485 Site of post-medieval timber house, Bridge Street 426220 302580 MWA2486 Congregational chapel, High Street 426200 302500 MWA2487 Site of 18th-century House, High Street 426230 302550 MWA2488 Site of 18th-century Houses, High Street 426250 302560 MWA2489 18th/19th-century house, High Street 426370 302580 MWA2490 Stiper's Hill Farm, Stiper's Hill 427290 302650 MWA276 Site of medieval tile kiln, Potters Lane 426120 301960 MWA4373 The Coventry Canal 432220 295410 MWA4386 Pooley Hall Colliery Wharf 425920 303450 MWA4801 Turnpike Road from Polesworth to Austrey 420000 300000 MWA5645 Church of St Editha 426330 302430 MWA5646 Site of cloisters of Polesworth Abbey 426340 302380 MWA5705 Site of pottery kiln, Potters Lane 426200 302000 MWA6117 Site of clay pipe factory, Potters Lane 426200 302000 MWA6505 Site of corn mill, east of Polesworth Bridge 426130 302270 MWA6506 Site of canal basin south of Bulls Head Bridge 425800 302190 MWA6507 Pooley Hall Colliery north of Pooley Hall 425860 303390 MWA6508 Site of gravel pit north-east of Wood Park Farm 427190 302020 MWA6511 Site of tramway between Polesworth and Dordon 425710 302070 MWA6512 Mineral railway between Pooley Hall and main line 425750 303320

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Ref Description Location MWA6514 Site of signal box at Polesworth Station 426530 303140 MWA6519 Site of pound 426250 302050 MWA6520 Site of lime kiln 426480 302050 MWA6521 Site of smithy 425870 302300 MWA6527 Site of coal pit south-west of Pooley Hall 425670 302670 MWA7495 Mound north-east of Polesworth church 426410 302430 MWA7850 Nethersole School 426240 302590 MWA8128 Post-medieval pottery kiln 426170 302000 MWA8185 19th-and 20th-century outbuildings and post- 426110 302450 medieval pottery, Bridge Street MWA8749 Imperial pottery sherds 426275 301976 MWA8758 Wall at 2A Bridge Street 426147 302363 MWA8913 Polesworth vicarage 426321 302406 MWA8965 Burials, Polesworth Abbey cloister 426350 302419 MWA9573 Polesworth medieval settlement 426040 302242 DWA609 Nos 30 (Abbey Gate House),32 and 34 High II* 426310 302562 Street (Late 15th/early 16th) DWA610 No 22 High Street (Late 16th century) II* 426291 302554 DWA623 Abbey Gatehouse and No.24 High Street II* 426291 302554 (Late 14th century) DWA630 Row of 4 17th-century cottages, Bridge II 426166 302459 Street DWA631 No 64 High Street (16th century) II 426460 302557 DWA604 Anker Bridge (1776) II 426096 302320 SM1005771 DWA607 Church of St Editha II* 426332 302433 DWA624 Dovecote south of High Street II 426242 302497 DWA608 Former sundial (17th century) II 426367 302387 DWA625 Foster's Yard (mid 18th century) II 426031 302189 DWA606 No 2 and attached wall, School House and II 426199 302589 attached wall and the Old School DWA612 Polesworth Congragational Church (1828) II 426231 302557 DWA779 Pooley Hall, attached former chapel and II* 425885 302817 Pooley Hall Farmhouse (1509) DWA611 Tame Barn (17th century) II 426237 302526 DWA622 The Vicarage, High Street (built from 16th II 426322 302405 century manor house) DWA632 Wall east of south-east corner of knave in II 426355 302425 Church of St Editha (11th century) EWA1 Polesworth, a North Warwickshire county pottery. 426298 301994 Excavation, 1977-1986 EWA6480 Polesworth Abbey cloister: a survey of the standing 426360 302420 masonry, Photo survey 1996 EWA6746 Archaeological observation of Polesworth Bridge, 426096 302323 Watching brief, 1999 EWA7040 Polesworth Abbey cloister: Trial trenching and 426351 302418 recording, 2001 EWA7486 Metal detecting survey, 2000-2004 427102 303343 EWA7769 Polesworth Abbey dendrochronology, 2006, 426293 302554 EWA9078 Polesworth Abbey, watching brief, 2002-2006 426330 302410 EWA9352 29 High Street, watching brief, 2005 426400 302590 EWA9452 52 Potters Lane, watching brief, 2009 426050 301990 EWA9473 Polesworth Abbey, trial trenching, 2007 426300 302400 EWA9474 Polesworth Abbey, geophysical survey, 2007 426393 302390 EWA9538 St Editha's Church, trial trenching, 2008 426480 302450 EWA954 Polesworth Public Library, trial trenching, 1993 426240 302490 EWA6770 2A Bridge Street, watching brief, 1999 426145 302376 EWA4175 Land adjacent to 43 Potters Lane, watching brief, 426020 301970

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Ref Description Location 1997 EWA4161 27/29 High Street, trial trenching, 1996 426400 302610 EWA6197 27/29 High Street, watching brief, 1997 426410 302580 EWA9120 21 Potters Lane, watching brief, 2008 426137 301916 EWA10083 Common Lane, evaluation, 2013 426250 301980 EWA2553 39-45 Bridge Street, watching Brief 426070 302510 EWA6748 Dordon Reservoir water mains renewals 426892 303641

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Scale 1: 10,000 Historic Environment Record (HER) Event and Listed Building data Fig 9 THE OLD SCHOOL SITE, POLESWORTH

A drawing by Penelope Greasley (1855) depicting the abbey Gatehouse in Old Polesworth by Jean Wood Fig 10

The corn mill on the River Anker in Old Polesworth by Jean Wood Fig 11

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4.4 Cartographic evidence

Saxton’s map of the County of Warwick, 1576 (Fig 12) Polesworth is illustrated on Saxton’s map as a village to the north of a bend in the River Anker. The medieval parkland at Wood Park to the south-east of Polesworth (MWA13158) is not illustrated here. Its exclusion from the map may be due to it not having been paled, or the illustrated paling of other parks on the map may exclusively refer to deer parks and it is uncertain whether Wood Park was ever thus delineated. The paled park shown to the north-west side of the village is probably Pooley Hall Park (MWA12568) which is known to have existed from 1610.

Blome’s map of the County of Warwick, 1673 (Fig 13) Blome’s map depicts Polesworth as a town rather than a village, in the same way that other significant towns such as Tamworth and Atherston are shown, which may be a reflection of the settlement’s growth during the post-medieval period. Neither Pooley Hall Park nor Wood Park are depicted here. It was suggested by Evelyn Philip Shirley that Pooley Hall Park had been disparked by the mid-17th century (Lovie 1997).

Jefferys’ map of Warwickshire, 1787 (Fig 14) Before Jefferys printed his maps in the late 18th century, roads were rarely included on large county maps. This map shows that Polesworth was approached from the south-west over the River Anker and is the first cartographic representation of Bridge Street, High Street and the location of Polesworth Abbey close to the banks of the river. Jefferys also included notable houses on his maps, and Pooley Hall can be seen to the north-west of the village. Although watermills are generally noted on the map, Polesworth mill (MWA209) is not depicted here.

Polesworth tithe map, 1850 (Fig 15) The Poleswoth tithe map is the earliest accurate representation of the layout of the buildings of the village, some of which are annotated, including the Brickworks (MWA217) and the colliery (MWA12238). The abbey is not illustrated here but the church of St Editha (DWA607, MWA5645), Polesworth Hall (MWA207) and a pair of outbuildings are clearly marked. Polesworth Mill can be seen in a basin to the east of Polesworth Bridge (MWA212, DWA604) and to the west of a footbridge. The Coventry Canal (MWA4373) is shown to the south of the River Anker and the route of the Trent Valley Railway is illustrated to the east of the village. Number 64 High Street, a Grade II Listed Building (DWA631), is marked to the east of the site and two further Grade II* Listed Buildings including the Abbey Gatehouse (DWA 609 and DWA610) can be seen immediately to the west. The tithe barn, or Tame Barn (MWA207, DWA611), is a Grade II Listed Building and can be seen at the northern end of Hall Court. Foster’s Yard (DWA625, Grade II Listed Building) is situated between the river and the canal and a row of four 17th-century cottages (DWA630, Grade II Listed Building) are also visible on the east side of Bridge Street. Polesworth Congregational Church (DWA612, Grade II Listed Building) was built in 1828 and is represented on the map but was left unannotated. The site occupies plot 20 in the map, which was owned by Sir George Chetwynd and occupied by William Power. The plot is simply named ‘house’ and was measured at 8 perches. A footpath traverses the site from south-west to north-east, linking the church land to the High Street. Two buildings can be seen at the northern boundary of the site fronting onto High Street, both of which have since been demolished.

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Ordnance Survey First Edition map, 1887 (Fig 16) By the time the first Ordnance Survey maps had been published, the Trent Valley Railway had been constructed and a signal box can be seen near where The Bear Lane crosses the tracks (MWA6514). Pooley Hall (DWA779, MWA228) is a Grade II* Listed Building and is illustrated to the west of the Coventry Canal. Midland Works (MWA217) and the coal pit to the south-west of Pooley Hall (MWA6527) are illustrated to the south-west and west of the site and the remains of Polesworth Abbey are also noted. This map shows that Polesworth Hall manor house (MWA207), annotated as a Hall on the Polesworth tithe map (Fig 15), was later replaced in about 1870 by the vicarage (DWA622). The coach house had also been constructed and can be seen close to the south-west. Many of the buildings of the town had been extended to the rear and additional outbuildings have also been constructed. More buildings had been constructed on the site itself, including the Infants School. An additional footpath had also been created at the western boundary of the site, linking the church with High Street.

Ordnance Survey Second Edition map, 1903 (Fig 17) The Second Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1903 shows the town in far greater detail but very little new construction had taken place since the previous map was published. The site’s current boundaries had been established by this time, the southern of which had been created when the graveyard of St Editha’s Church had been extended to the north but the footpath forming the western boundary had been removed. The mound to the east of the church (MWA7495) is illustrated for the first time on this map.

Ordnance Survey Third Edition map, 1923 (Fig 18) Polesworth saw considerable expansion in the intervening years. New terraced housing had been constructed along the newly-created Nethersole Street, Bridge Street and the eastern end of High street. The Infants School building on the site had expanded to the south and included a yard and outbuildings on its east side.

Ordnance Survey map, 1939 (Fig 19) The town had continued to expand eastwards with the addition of new semi-detached housing to the far north-east of the site on the north side of High Street. The vicarage garden saw the construction of a new tennis court but over half of the buildings at the northern boundary of the site had been demolished.

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Saxton’s map of the County of Warwick, 1576 Fig 12

Blome’s map of the County of Warwick, 1673 Fig 13

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Jefferys’ map of Warwickshire, 1787 Fig 14

Polesworth tithe map, 1850 Fig 15

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Ordnance Survey First Edition map, 1887 Fig 16

Ordnance Survey Second Edition map, 1903 Fig 17

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Ordnance Survey Third Edition map, 1923 Fig 18

Ordnance Survey map, 1939 Fig 19

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Previous archaeological work

Although no previous archaeological work has been carried out on the site, it has been undertaken in the vicinity.

A large community project, Dig the Abbey, involved volunteers for three seasons of excavation in the grounds of St Editha’s Church. Between 2011 and 2013 they examined the former medieval Benedictine Nunnery and Polesworth Hall which succeeded it. Pre Anglo-Saxon activity across the site was very limited and comprised one flint implement and an abraded Roman coin. The locations of the medieval abbey cemetery, the chapter house, frater and reredorter were identified. An earth resistance survey which was undertaken during the final fieldwork season identified an area of high resistance at the northern end of the survey area, close to the south- west corner of the current proposed development, which may represent stone building rubble or footings. A broad, linear anomaly was also noted through both survey areas and a large feature at the west side of the southern area may represent a large damp hollow, possible a spring, a cut-off section of river channel or a backfilled pit (Holmes 2015).

Trial trenching and recording at Polesworth Abbey cloister undertaken through restoration work to the north and east cloister walls revealed four burials, details of medieval and post-medieval building work and finds and the reuse of stonework (Palmer and Jamieson 2001; EWA7040). During the excavation for a statue base in 2002, a watching brief undertaken within the abbey church revealed a reburied medieval coffin and medieval masonry possibly belonging to a monastic range west of the cloister and the Abbess’ Lodging range (EWA7098; Palmer and Coutts 2006). Trial trenching to the west and south-east of the vicarage in 2007 revealed three graves belonging to a pre-late 13th-century cemetery, overlain by a late-13th to early 14th-century building range. A further building range was identified to the south and another was identified to the south-east of the vicarage which may have been part of the Abbess’ Lodging or a guest hall (Gethin and Palmer 2007, EWA9473). However, an archaeological evaluation within a proposed graveyard extension to the east of the site revealed no finds or features. Almost 70% of the area had been disturbed by open cast mining (Gethin and Rann 2008, EWA9538). A geophysical survey carried out in September 2007 in the vicarage garden identified probable building remains to the south of the probable frater and to the east of the chapter house (EWA9474).

Evaluation trenches at Polesworth Library close to the west of the site recorded no archaeological features but a collection of 17th-and 18th-century ceramic tiles was recovered (EWA954, Eyre-Morgan 1993).

Observation of foundation trenches during a watching brief close to the north-east of the site at 29 High Street and within the medieval settlement revealed no features of medieval date. Only 17th-century clay pipe was recorded with 18th-century pottery (Jones 2005, EWA9352). Four archaeological trenches were excavated to the geological natural at 27/29 High Street in 1996 and no archaeological finds or features were recorded. It is thought that any surviving remains may have been truncated by 19th-20th century house construction (Jones and Wright 1997, EWA4161). A further watching brief at the same site indicated that the same was true at the front of the properties (Coutts 1997, EWA6197).

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5 IMPACT ASSESSMENT

5.1 The proposed development

The proposed development is to demolish the single-storey Polesworth Learning centre and replace with housing. It is planned to retain the Infants School and its yard to the north and east.

5.2.1 Impact assessment

1. The heritage assets The eight significant heritage assets likely to be affected by development at The Old School Site are Polesworth Abbey (MWA203, Scheduled Monument 1005735), The Church of St Editha (MWA205, DWA607, Grade II* Listed Building), Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse (MWA204, DWA623, Grade II* Listed Building), Abbey Croft (MWA12497), Polesworth Vicarage (MWA8913, DWA622, Grade II Listed Building), the site of the Abbess’ lodgings (MWA206), the site of the manor house (MWA207) and the site of the cloisters (MWA5646). These all fall within the abbey precinct which occupies the land between High Street to the north, Bridge Street to the west, the River Anker to the south and a lane leading south from High Street to the east. The precinct is occupied by the remains of Polesworth Abbey, the graveyard, housing and businesses on Bridge Street and High Street, the Infants School and Polesworth Learning Centre. The setting of the Church of St Editha is probably the most significant of the group, which includes the churchyard, Abbey Croft public space, the vicarage and views of the river and its floodplains. The view of the church and the graveyard from High Street is significant, as this is an historic view. Throughout the post-medieval period, buildings existed on the south side of High Street, partially blocking the view of the church from the road. However, the houses, and later the Infants School, were detached buildings between which were views to and from the church.

2. The setting and its contribution to the assets The setting of St Editha’s Church, the vicarage and Abbey Croft is open sacred space. The Abbey Gatehouse is significant because it signifies the historic boundary between this and the urban settlement beyond it to the north. The space provides essential openness to the church and is a critical part of the religious landscape of Polesworth, enhancing its presence and promoting reverence.

3. The effect of the proposed development The proposed development would remove the derelict single-storey Learning Centre and the remaining section of the historic pathway that crosses the site from the south- west to the north-east. The learning centre is an unattractive modern building which is detrimental to the assets and their settings. Its removal would also enhance the setting. The design of the proposed new buildings is not currently available for comment and so an assessment of their contribution to the assets and their surroundings is unknown. The reintroduction of domestic buildings to the south side of this section of High Street would restore a little of the historic post-medieval townscape of Polesworth. There is a risk of the houses encroaching onto the sacred space surrounding the churchyard and visually isolate the church from High Street. There is also a risk of hard barriers such as garden fences or walls against the public sacred space making a contribution to the potential isolation.

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4. Maximising enhancement and minimising harm Views of the church could be partially maintained if gaps between the houses are wide enough. Dwellings could be kept to single-storey and hard property barriers could be replaced by link fencing to maintain the flow from sacred to secular from the church to the street.

5.3 Significance

Paragraph 132 of the National Planning Policy Framework recognises that those heritage assets with the highest level of significance comprise Scheduled Monuments, Registered Battlefields, Grade I and II* Listed Buildings, Grade I and II* Registered Parks and Gardens and World Heritage Sites. In paragraph 139 it states that non-designated heritage assets that are demonstrably of equivalent significance to scheduled monuments be considered subject to the same policies.

Table 3: Criteria for assessing the relative sensitivity (value) of cultural heritage sites Level of sensitivity Definition Very high – high Sites of international importance: World Heritage Sites, other historic sites, buildings or landscapes of international importance whether designated or not. Sites, landscapes or buildings of national importance including those that are designated as scheduled monuments or those that are considered to be suitable for scheduling, grade I and grade II* listed buildings, registered battlefields, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, sites that have the potential to significantly contribute to national research objectives Medium Sites of regional importance include Grade II Listed Buildings, Grade II Registered Historic Gardens, Conservation Areas and those sites which are considered to be significant regional examples with well-preserved evidence of occupation, industry etc. Low Sites, landscapes or buildings which are of less defined extent, nature and date or which are in a poor or fragmentary state, but which are considered to be significant examples in a local context; important hedgerows; locally listed buildings Negligible Areas in which investigative techniques have produced negative or minimal evidence of antiquity, or where large scale destruction of the archaeological resource has taken place (e.g. by mineral extraction)

The potential for archaeological remains dating from either the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic or Bronze Age periods to be found on the site is unknown but likely to be low in all instances. No known settlements have been found nearby the site and very few flint tools dating from these periods have been found in the vicinity.

The potential for Iron Age remains to be found on the site is unknown but is likely to be low. No Iron Age features or finds are known from within a 1km radius of the site.

The potential for remains dating to the Roman period to be found on the site is unknown but likely to be low. Finds dating to the period made from copper alloy have been found in Polesworth including brooches and coins but their findspots are unknown.

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The potential for Saxon remains to be found on the site is not known but likely to be moderate, due to the proximity of Polesworth Abbey, originally founded during the late Saxon period and the Saxon church which stood close by to the south. Saxon burials have been found close to the west of the current church, the extent of the burial ground is not known. Finds dating to the period are not known for Polesworth.

The potential for archaeological remains dating to the medieval period is very high. Polesworth had begun to thrive as a small town with a weekly market and a yearly fair. Bridge Street and High Street are likely to have been inhabited during this time and the site lies within the former abbey precinct within the historic town core. Although the majority of the abbey buildings lay to the south and east of the current church, timber structures are known to have existed within the pre-Conquest cemetery and may have also been built in other places inside the precinct. High Street was part of the thoroughfare from Polesworth Bridge over the River Anker and traffic would have regularly passed the site. A medieval cross fragment was found at the site during the construction of the Infants School in the late 19th century.

The potential for remains dating to the post-medieval period is also very high. The Polesworth tithe map of 1850 shows buildings at the northern boundary of the site and a footpath traversing the site may indicate losses from pedestrians during this period. The site also lay within the curtilage of Polesworth manor at this time and the house itself was constructed adjacent to the church, then later replaced by the vicarage. The town had become prosperous during this time with the construction of the Coventry Canal and included a brickyard, a corn mill, a pottery, a clay pipe factory and collieries. However, it should be noted that for any period, the potential for remains to have survived on the site may be reduced due to disturbance from open cast mining in the vicinity although it is not known whether this took place within the site boundary. An archaeological evaluation within a proposed graveyard extension close to the south-east of the site within the former abbey precinct revealed no finds or features because almost 70% of the area had been disturbed by mining.

6 CONCLUSION

There are two Scheduled Monuments within Polesworth, which are Polesworth Bridge and Polesworth Abbey. There are sixteen Listed Buildings within a 1km radius of the site, five of which are Grade II*, including the Abbey Gatehouse to the west of the site and the Church of St Editha to the south.

There is very little evidence in the area which predates the establishment of the abbey and Saxon church; it comprises only three flint tools dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The site lies at the northern boundary of the former abbey precinct and within the historic medieval settlement of Polesworth. Although the majority of the associated abbey buildings are thought to lie to the south and east of the church, timber structures may survive elsewhere within the curtilage of the abbey and have been found during excavation of a pre-Conquest cemetery. After the Dissolution, a manor house was built at the abbey which was later replaced by Polesworth vicarage. Open cast mining has taken place immediately to the east of the site within the former abbey precinct, which may have denuded earlier archaeological remains.

MOLA Report 16/102 Page 35