St Andrew’s Chuch, Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire: Written Scheme of Investigation for archaeological mitigation
NGR 391460, 124835 ______
Prepared by: Ben Urmston
On behalf of: Proctor Watts Cole Rutter
Document No: ACW948/1/0
Date: September 2016
AC archaeology ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH, DONHEAD ST. ANDREW, WILTSHIRE:
Written Scheme of Investigation for archaeological mitigation
NGR 391460, 124835 ______
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. This document sets out the methodology for undertaking archaeological mitigation relating to proposed redevelopment works at the St. Andrew’s Church in Donhead St. Andrew, Wiltshire (centred on NGR 391460, 124835). This Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) has been prepared by AC archaeology Ltd. for Proctor Watts Cole Rutter on behalf of their client The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Donhead St Andrew. The site location and development details are shown in Appendix 1.
1.2. Wiltshire Council has granted permission for planning application 15/06063/FUL, subject to a number of conditions. Following advice from the Wiltshire Council Assistant County Archaeologist (WCACA) and Historic England, Condition 5 of the consent states that:
No works shall commence on site until an appropriate programme of building recording (including architectural/historical analysis) has been carried out in respect of the church building concerned. This record shall be carried out by an archaeologist/building recorder or an organisation with acknowledged experience in the recording of standing buildings which is acceptable to the Local Planning Authority. The recording shall be carried out in accordance with a written specification, and presented in a form and to a timetable, which has first been agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority. REASON: The application contained insufficient information to enable this matter to be considered prior to granting planning permission and the matter is required to be agreed with the Local Planning Authority before development commences in order that the development is undertaken in an acceptable manner, to secure the proper recording of the listed building.
1.3. Condition 6 states that:
No development shall commence within the area indicated (proposed development site) until: A written programme of archaeological investigation, which should include on-site work and off- site work such as the analysis, publishing and archiving of the results, has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority; The approved programme of archaeological work has been carried out in accordance with the approved details. REASON: To enable the recording of any matters of archaeological interest.
1.4. The application comprises the demolition of the existing vestry and the construction of a single storey extension to form a new vestry, parish room, kitchenette and WC (Appendix 1).
1.5. St. Andrew’s Church is located near the southwestern extent of the village of Donhead St. Andrew in Wiltshire, some 5km ENE of Shaftesbury, Dorset. The church stands at c. 113m OD within the base of the Nadder Valley, near the confluence of a number of small streams occupying the bases
St. Andrew’s Church, Donhead St. Andrew, Wiltshire: WSI for an archaeological watching brief Doc ACW948/1/0 page 1
of the shallow valleys meeting at this point, and is overlooked by higher ground on all sides. The local landscape is typified by pasture fields, isolated copses and more extensive plantations.
1.6. The underlying geology comprises Cretaceous sandstone of the Cann Sand Member towards the east of the site and Cretaceous mudstone of the Gault Formation towards the west, with no superficial deposits recorded (BGS online). Alluvial deposits are noted to be present in the shallow river valley to the west of the church.
2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
2.1 Donhead St. Andrew and the neighbouring Donhead St. Mary are likely to be Saxon in origin, although there have been few archaeological investigations within the village to demonstrate this. The church itself is a Grade II* listed building dating from the 12th century, with significant modification in the 14th, 15th and 19th centuries.
2.2 Evidence in the Wiltshire Historic Environment Record (WHER) for prehistoric and Roman activity is very sparse within the locality of the church, with no finds or sites noted within 500m. Other prehistoric sites, such as Castle Rings fort, lie over 2km from the application area.
2.3 Leigh Court, some 700m ENE of the church, comprises extant elements of the medieval farm, and several post-medieval outfarms are recorded around Donhead St. Andrew.
3. ARCHAEOLOGICAL MITIGATION
3.1 The principal aims of the archaeological monitoring are:
• To create a descriptive record of the internal and external areas around the existing vestry prior to demolition work commencing; • To record any archaeological features and finds, which may be revealed or disturbed by the groundworks for the new construction on the site; and • To provide an archive and interpretive report on the results of the monitoring.
3.2 The archaeological mitigation project will be managed by Ben Urmston on behalf of AC archaeology Ltd. Site monitoring will be undertaken by a suitably experienced member of AC archaeology’s staff. The site archaeologist(s) will familiarise his or herself with the content of this project design prior to commencement of fieldwork.
Building Recording
3.3 The descriptive record of the area around the existing vestry will conform to a Level 2 survey as defined by Historic England (HE 2016). As a minimum, this recording will comprise:
••• measured plans and elevations of the vestry; ••• digital photographs of the church within its wider setting, and the internal and external appearances of the existing vestry; and ••• a written report detailing the location of the building, its statutory and non-statutory designations, and a summary statement of its form, function, date and sequence of development.
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3.4 The drawings, photographs and summary statement of the church will be incorporated with the overall report for the watching brief.
Watching Brief
3.5 Attendance by the site archaeologist will be comprehensive i.e. an archaeologist will be present during all groundworks. All works will be undertaken in accordance with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists Standard for watching briefs (CIfA 2014).
3.6 All archaeological features and deposits exposed during the watching brief will be investigated, excavated and recorded, as required; the archaeological excavation of deposits that will be left in situ and unaffected by the development will not normally be undertaken.
3.7 All archaeological features and deposits will be excavated by hand and to the following sample levels; 50% of discrete features (pits, postholes, etc., but a sample only of features occurring in high numbers e.g. stakeholes), 25% of linear features with non-uniform fills and 10% of linear features with uniform fills.
3.8 If expansive deposits such as alluvial or colluvial deposits, or quarry pits are present, then machine-cut sondages will be excavated at intervals until such time as the layer sequence is confirmed;
3.9 Should in situ structural remains be encountered, then sufficient excavation will be undertaken to confirm the function, sequence and chronology and method of construction.
3.10 In the case of industrial features these will normally be investigated to a 50% sample level but, following consultation with the WCACA, full excavation and recording may be undertaken where appropriate;
3.11 All artefacts or deposits revealed will be recorded using the standard AC archaeology pro forma single sequence recording system, comprising written, graphic and photographic records, and in accordance with AC archaeology's General Site Recording Manual, version 2 (2012);
3.12 A photographic record of all archaeological deposits will be made in both plan and section. This will comprise digital photographs only, illustrating in both detail and generally the principal features and finds discovered. The photographic record will also include working shots to illustrate the progress of the work.
3.13 Should human remains be encountered, they will wherever possible be left in situ ; where this is not possible, excavations within the relevant area will be halted until the appropriate permissions can be obtained from the Church of England and removal properly effected.
3.14 In the case of significant deposits being exposed that require time for further investigation, the site contractor will be expected to allow reasonable delays within the construction timetable to enable the archaeological contractor to complete the recording of such deposits. In the unlikely event that agreement cannot be reached between the developer and/or site agent and the archaeological contractor, or where a delay of more than 24 hours is requested, the archaeological contractor shall inform and seek the advice of the WCACA.
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3.15 All pre-20th century finds will be retained at least for initial inspection. The presence of later material will be noted, but examples will not be retained, except where they are items of intrinsic interest, or their further examination is considered necessary for the interpretation of the site.
3.16 All deposits with palaeo-environmental potential - containing carbonised and/or waterlogged remains - will be bulk sampled as appropriate and in accordance with English Heritage Guidelines (English Heritage 2011). The selection of suitable deposits for sampling will be determined by the Site Archaeologist in consultation, where necessary, with the WCACA. Consultation with the Historic England Regional Scientific Officer will be sought, as appropriate.
3.17 A detailed archaeological record will be made of all exposed deposits of archaeological interest, using notebooks, context records, plans and sections at suitable scales and by photography (digital imagery only). All artefacts recovered will be assigned to uniquely-numbered contexts and where necessary recorded three-dimensionally.
4. SITE ARCHIVE
4.1 The site archive will contain all the data collected during the mitigation including records, finds and environmental residues. It will be quantified, ordered, indexed and internally consistent.
4.2 The archive will be prepared to the standards outlined in Appendix 3 of Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991), and in accordance with the guidelines published in Guidelines for the preparation of Excavation Archives for long-term storage (United Kingdom Institute for Conservation, 1990) and Standards in the Museum care of archaeological collections (Museum and Galleries Commission, 1994). Deposition shall take place as soon as practicable after the site works and any subsequent mitigation activities and in any case within 12 months of the completion of the project.
4.3 Subject to the formal agreement of the landowner, it is intended that the finds together with the site archive will be deposited preferentially with Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum. All materials will be marked, packaged and presented in accordance with their standard requirement. Digital photographs taken as part of the project will be stored in archive as uncompressed tiff images. A set of monochrome prints of the images, produced on photographic paper by a commercial photographic laboratory, will also be provided. Security copies of paper records in digital or fiche format will be maintained and stored at the AC archaeology offices prior to deposition.
5. REPORTING
5.1 A written report will be prepared following completion on site. The contents of the report will vary depending on the findings, but as a minimum will contain:
• an introduction to the archaeological and historical background of the site; • a statement of the methods used in the excavation; • a descriptive account of the results, to include relevant illustrations/ photographic plates; • an account of the nature, extent, date, condition and significance of any finds, with specialist opinions as appropriate; • an interpretation and a conclusion considering the validity of the results and any limiting factors.
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5.2 Following the initial assessment by AC archaeology’s Finds Manager the following specialists (as required) will undertake various components of the report:
• a report on any pottery will be carried out by Emma Firth, BA, MSc, ACIfA, Finds Manager, AC archaeology; • a report on the animal bone would be undertaken by Charlotte Coles, BA, MSc, Finds Officer AC archaeology; • identification of worked flint will be carried out by Julian Richards, BA, FSA, freelance specialist; • a report on metal objects and metalworking residue will be undertaken by Emma Firth, BA, MSc, ACIfA, Finds Manager, AC archaeology; • coins will be identified by Mark Corney, BA, freelance specialist; • assessment of palaeo-environmental samples will be undertaken by Mike Allen, PhD, MCIfA, FLS, FSA; • Scientific dating (Carbon-14) will be undertaken by Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC).
5.3 As a minimum, a short note on the circumstances and nature of the project will be provided for publication in the county journal within one year following completion of the site work unless further site work is required.
5.4 Copies of the full report will be supplied to the client, the planning officer and WHER. A digital copy of the site data will also be provided in an approved format.
5.5 An OASIS record will be completed.
6. MONITORING
6.1 During the archaeological investigations the WCACA will be invited to inspect and advise on the work.
7. HEALTH AND SAFETY
7.1 Archaeological staff will operate under AC archaeology's Health and Safety Policy and in accordance with current Health and Safety legislation, to include (but not exclusively rely on upon) the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 .
7.2 Archaeological staff will not work within the reach of the excavator arm on mechanical plant and would be at a safe distance should the quick hitch device fail. The machine operator will ensure that all necessary parts of the plant are fully functional and properly maintained.
7.3 In accordance with the provisions of the AC archaeology Health and Safety Policy, the senior archaeologist will be responsible for ensuring that operations under their control are carried out in accordance with the approved procedures.
7.4 Archaeological staff will not work in unsafe conditions; even where not to do so will result in the possible under-recording of the archaeological resource.
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8. INSURANCE
8.1 AC archaeology carries Public Liability Insurance cover to £5,000,000, Employer’s Liability to £10,000,000 and Professional Indemnity cover to £5,000,000.
9. COPYRIGHT
9.1 AC archaeology Ltd will provide the employer with unrestricted permission to use any report resulting from the archaeological investigations but will retain, along with its specialist contributors, the copyright of the report and all associated archive material.
11. REFERENCES
Benefice of St. Bartholomew. St. Andrew’s Church, Donhead St. Andrew. http://www.benofbart.org.uk/index.php/donhead-st-andrew . Accessed 02/09/2016
British Geological Survey. Geology of Britain Viewer ( http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html). Accessed 02/09/2016
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2014. Standard and guidance for an archaeological watching brief . Professional guidance
English Heritage 1991. The Management of Archaeological Projects. Second Edition (MAP2). Professional guidance. Portsmouth: Historic England.
English Heritage. 2005. Guidance for best practice for treatment of human remains excavated from Christian burial grounds in England . Professional guidance. Portsmouth: Historic England
English Heritage. 2011, ' Environmental Archaeology. A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Methods, from Sampling and Recovery to Post-excavation (second edition)'. Portsmouth: Historic England.
Historic England, 2016. Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Practice . Portsmouth: Historic England. Revised edition, original February 2006
Museum and Galleries Commission 1994. Standards in the Museum care of archaeological collections . Professional guidance
Society for Museum Archaeology 1993. Guidelines on the Selection, Retention and Dispersal of Archaeological Collections. Professional guidance
United Kingdom Institute for Conservation 1990. Guidelines for the preparation of Excavation Archives for long-term storage. Professional guidance
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APPENDIX 1: SITE LOCATION AND PROPOSED DESIGN DRAWINGS
Wiltshire Office Devon Office
AC archaeology Ltd AC archaeology Ltd Manor Farm Stables Unit 4, Halthaies Workshops Chicklade Bradninch Hindon Nr Exeter Nr Salisbury Devon Wiltshire EX5 4LQ SP3 5SU
Telephone: 01747 820581 Telephone/Fax: 01392 882410 Fax: 01747 820440
www.acarchaeology.co.uk