Ÿþm I C R O S O F T W O R

The Shrewsbury North West Relief Road: A Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment

by H R Hannaford

Archaeology Service Archaeology Service Report Number 212.2 © Shropshire County Council July 2002

THE SHREWSBURY NORTH WEST RELIEF ROAD: A DESK-BASED ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

by H R HANNAFORD MIFA

A Report for the

COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE SHROPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Archaeology Service Unit 4, Owen House, Radbrook Centre, Radbrook Road,Shrewsbury, SY3 9BJ Tel: (01743) 254018 Fax: (01743) 254047 TELFORD & WREKIN COUNCIL The Shrewsbury North West Relief Road: A Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment

CONTENTS Page No SUMMARY 1 1 INTRODUCTION 2 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3 2.1 Aims and Objectives of the Assessment 3 2.2 Methodology of the Assessment 3 3 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 4 3.1 Prehistoric and Romano-British occupation of the study area 4 3.2MedievalSettlements 6 3.3 ThePostMedievalandIndustrialPeriods 8 4 THE IMPACT ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE 10 5 RECOMMENDED ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROVISION 12 6 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED 14 6.1 Sources 14 6.2 Othersourcesandbibliography 16 APPENDIX 1: GOMMMS SHEETS

ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: The Preferred Route and the Study Area Figure 2: Prehistoric and Romano-British sites in the Study Area Figure 3: Medieval and Post-medieval sites in the Study Area Figure 4: Areas recommended for further evaluation (Areas A - D)

SUMMARY There is currently a proposal to construct a new road, the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, between the junction of the A458 Welshpool Road and Holyhead Road at Shelton and the Harlescott Roundabout, with a link through to Ditherington Road. The proposed new road would run around the northwestern side of the built-up town. A number of significant archaeological sites lie in the area to be crossed by the new roads. Because of the archaeological and historical importance of this area, and the destructive nature of the proposed works, it was considered necessary to carry out a desk-top archaeological assessment of the land affected by this scheme. This assessment has recommended that a programme of further field evaluation is necessary to determine the extent and survival of archaeological features.

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 There is currently a proposal to construct a new road in Shrewsbury, Shropshire (the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road) between the junction of the A458 Welshpool Road and Holyhead Road at Shelton and the Harlescott Roundabout, with a link through to Ditherington Road (see Figure 1).

1.2 The proposed new road will cut across open countryside around the northwestern outskirts of the modern town, and across one of the towns later post-medieval suburbs. A number of significant archaeological sites lie in the area to be crossed by the new roads.

1.3 In view of the historical and archaeological significance of the areas affected by the proposed new road, it was deemed necessary to undertake an archaeological assessment of the area of land affected by the proposed works.

1.4 This report details the findings of the Desk-Based Assessment of the proposed road corridor. A number of archaeological sites were identified within and immediately adjacent to the study area. These sites included possible Bronze Age ritual and funerary sites, Iron Age and Romano-British farmstead enclosures, a section of the Shrewsbury Canal, and an important late 18th- century industrial complex.

2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Aims and Objectives of the Assessment The aim of this desk-based assessment is to provide information enabling an informed decision to be taken regarding the archaeological provision for the construction of the proposed new road. For the purposes of this assessment, the study area was taken to be a band approximately 600m wide centred along the proposed new road line.

The objectives set were: (a) To assess the known or potential archaeological resource within the study area. (b) To identify the likely character, extent, quality, and significance of the known or potential archaeological resource in a local, regional, and national context as appropriate. (c) To identify and recommend options for the management of the archaeological resource, including any mitigation strategies. (d) To recommend a strategy for further Field Evaluation, where the character and value of the resource is not sufficiently defined to permit a mitigation strategy or other response to be devised.

2.2 Methodology of the Assessment 2.2.1 In order to achieve these objectives, the Desk-Based Assessment examined and assessed all appropriate sources. These included:

Archaeological Databases Historical Documents Cartographic Sources Pictorial Documents Aerial Photographs Geotechnical Information Secondary and Statutory Sources (including the Cultural Heritage section of a draft Environmental Statement by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick).

2.3 The Archaeology Service was commissioned by the Community and Environment Directorate, Shropshire County Council, to conduct this assessment. This report details the result of the assessment.

3 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 3.1 Prehistoric and Romano-British occupation of the study area Our knowledge of prehistoric activity in the area traversed by the proposed road corridor comes from air photography and chance finds of artefacts.

Cropmark sites Certain elements of archaeological sites produce cropmarks, visible from the air under favourable conditions. Rarely (in the vicinity of the study area) these occur as soil marks in recently ploughed land; more usually they appear as cropmarks in cereals or as parch marks in grassland during periods of drought. Variables in the distribution and recording of cropmarks include modern development and agricultural usage, soil and underlying sub-soil types, weather conditions, and the aims and methodologies of the aerial photographers themselves.

The study area lies within an area from Newton to Wroxeter and Knighton to Oswestry which was subject to a detailed study in the 1980s, resulting in an analysis of the different archaeological cropmark features and systems which had been recorded at that time (Whimster, 1989). The primary source for the aerial photographic coverage of cropmarks for the study area is the County SMR.

These sources reveal that the route of the proposed road corridor will cross through an area where there is a particular concentration of cropmark features attributed to the prehistoric and Roman periods. To the west of Berwick Road, between Gravel Hill Farm and Berwick House, the study area runs through a dense band of archaeological cropmark sites. Amongst these cropmarks sites are ring ditches marking the probable sites of Bronze Age funerary monuments and the enclosures and ditches of prehistoric and Romano-British farmsteads and their fields.

Apparently overlying some of these features, particularly in the area south of Berwick House, are linear marks possibly associated with medieval strip cultivation

Ring ditches Probably the earliest of the cropmark sites are a number of ring ditches. Ring ditches usually represent the remains of ploughed down burial mounds of early Bronze Age date (c. 2300 - 1400 BC); the circular cropmarks are formed by the in-filled quarry ditch surrounding the ploughed-down burial mound, which produces marks in ripening crops that are visible from the air. Ring ditches can appear as single monuments, but tend to cluster in groups of two or more, perhaps representing cemeteries serving particular Bronze Age communities.

Such a group of ring ditches lies south of Berwick House in a triangular area with corners at SJ 472 140, SJ 477 140, and SJ 476 144. This group of at least seven ring ditches forms part of a complex band of cropmark sites on the gravel terrace on the eastern bank of the River Severn (SMR Nos. SA10, SA11, SA12, SA13, & SA2209). Three ring ditches fall within the study area; one, part of SA12, lies at SJ 4723 1404, the other two (one of which was identified as part of

this assessment on AP no. SMR SJ4714-V) form part of SA10 at SJ 4765 1402 (Figure 2).

The Berwick group of ring ditches is one of several such groups known from the upper Severn Valley in Shropshire (Watson, 1991). Another group on the south side of Shrewsbury, which forms a linear cemetery c. 2.5km long extending northeastwards along a terrace overlooking the Rea Brook from the A49/A5 interchange south of Meole Brace towards Weeping Cross, has been the subject of a number of excavations in recent years (Barker et al, 1991; Hughes and Woodward, 1995; Hughes, 1997). These excavations, and others on a similar site at Bromfield in the south of the county (Hughes, Leach, and Stanford, 1995), have demonstrated that the ring ditches may represent just one phase of ritual and/or funerary activity on these sites spread over a considerable period of time, from the later Neolithic period through to the Iron Age.

Findspots of prehistoric material The cropmark evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age activity in the study area is amplified by a number of chance finds of prehistoric artefacts (Figure 2). A flint implement, a plano-convex core of possible Neolithic date (SA1579) , was found c. 1934-7 in an allotment garden north of Falstaff Street, Greenfields at SJ 4957 1408; other unworked flint was found nearby at SJ 4958 1410 . In 1946 a Neolithic Group 1 stone axe (SA1582) was found 2m deep during pipe-laying in Falstaff Street, Greenfields at SJ 4955 1388. And in c. 1956 a Late Bronze Age four-ribbed socketed axe (SA2619) was recovered from an allotment garden at Greenfields at SJ 496 140. (SMR Files SA1579, SA1582, & SA2619)

Cropmark Enclosures Later prehistoric activity in the vicinity of the study area is attested by a number of cropmark enclosures, of a type which have been demonstrated by excavation to represent the remains of farmsteads occupied during the late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romano-British, and early medieval periods. Again, these enclosures form part of cropmark complex on the gravel terrace between the Severn and Berwick Road (SA10, SA11, SA12,SA13, &SA2209). Three enclosures lie within the study area; one, part of SA12, lies at SJ 4722 1400, another, part of SA10, at SJ 4771 1407, and a third possible enclosure with associated ditches, SA2209, lies at SJ 4798 1431 (Figure 2).

This change of use for such a site from ritual and funerary activity to domestic and agricultural occupation is paralleled at both the ring ditch groups mentioned above (the Bromfield and south Shrewsbury groups) and another ring ditch group at Ford, 6km to the west. At Bromfield, an Iron Age farmstead enclosure (SA488) was built within the area of the barrow cemetery (Stanford, 1995), and at the south Shrewsbury group an Iron Age enclosure was built over the remains of two ring ditches at Sutton Farm (SA85) (Barker et al, 1991), and an enclosure (SA15) dated by excavation to the late Iron Age and early Romano- British periods was built within 300m of one ring ditch (SA2208) and 500m of another (SA14) at Meole Brace.

One enclosure (Figure 2; SA4713) within the study area, at SJ 4945 1413, has been excavated. This enclosure site was not discovered by aerial photography but by a geophysical survey carried out as part of an archaeological evaluation of a proposed development site off Ellesmere Road in Greenfields. The enclosure proved to be Roman in date, of the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. The presence of a quantity of Roman ceramic tile indicated that the enclosure was associated with a nearby substantial building, probably a villa, although the site of this structure was not discovered (Oxford Archaeology Unit, 1996).

A second Roman villa (SA4740) is located 1km to the north of the study area at SJ 480 157Villa at Alkmund Park Farm. The villa here was discovered in 1990, when the tenant discovered Roman building material (tiles and opus signinum concrete) in a newly ploughed field overlooking Alkmund Park Pool. Geophysical surveys and a trial excavation in 1997 confirmed the presence of a Roman building here. (White, 1998, 1-2).

It has also been suggested that Berwick Road follows the line of a Roman precursor (White, 1997, p7).

Findspots of Roman material There have in addition been a number of finds of Roman material from within or just outside the study area (Figure 2). In c. 1825, a Roman coin (SA1576) of Claudius II Gothicus (AD268-70) was found during the construction of the new road from Coton Hill to Berwick at SJ 4856 1391, just to the south of the study area. At SJ 491 152, probably just outside the study area again, a late 1st- / early 2nd-century bronze fibula (brooch) of dolphin pattern (SA4207) was found in a field south of Hencott Lane on the slope down to the old river bed. And at Huffley Bank (SJ 49 16), at the northern end of the study area, fieldwalking carried out as part of the Wroxeter Hinterland Project found a Scatter of Roman pottery without particular concentration. (SMR files SA1576 & SA4207; White, 1997, p7)

3.2 Medieval Settlements The road corridor passes through a number of medieval manors, all still represented by modern settlements, although some of these have shrunk to single farms or a few dispersed farmsteads. In most cases the study area by- passes the settlements themselves, running through their fields.

Shelton (and Oxon). The line of the proposed new road runs from the A458 Welshpool Road / Holyhead Road junction at Shelton northeastwards to the River Severn. This section of the route passes through part of the Domesday manor of Shelton, which belonged to St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, in the medieval period. (Thorn and Thorn, 1986, 1,4 & 3f,7 & 4,5,7 & notes; Eyton, 1858, vi p 360 & vii p171; Foxall, 1977, Shrewsbury St Chad, Shelton and Oxon Township). The road corridor itself passes through land that probably formed part of the settlement's fields, but the settlement itself, on the river terrace overlooking the River Severn to the northeast, will have lain within the study area.

Berwick East of the River Severn, the study area passes through land that in the medieval period probably belonged to the manor of Berwick. The settlement itself probably lay to the north of the study area, in the vicinity of Berwick House, although medieval pottery has been recovered from a ploughed field within the study area at SJ 4782 1417 (Figure 3; SA68). (Thorn and Thorn, 1986, 4,1,20 & notes). The study area runs through a possible area of former medieval ridge and furrow ploughing visible on a 1983 aerial photograph (Cartographic Services, 1983, 6953); this feature lies just above the floodplain on the northeast bank of the River Severn, opposite Shelton.

Hencott At the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086, the manor of Hencott comprised 2 hides, and was owned by St Alkmund's Church, Shrewsbury. St Alkmund's holdings formed part of the foundation endowment of Lilleshall Abbey in the 12th century, and the Abbey held these lands until the Dissolution. (Thorn and Thorn, 1986, C13, 3g2, & notes). The study runs through land that will have formed part of the manor's open fields in the medieval period. An area of former medieval ridge and furrow ploughing is visible on 1983 aerial photographs (Cartographic Services, 1983, 7515 & 7516) in the fields to the west of Crosshill and the north of Hencott Lane. One medieval find has been recorded from the Hencott area: a short cross cut halfpenny of King John (Figure 3; SA2803) was found by a metal detectorist close to the Ellesmere Road at SJ 4950 1522 (Tyler, 1981, p100). The site of a medieval watermill, Hencote Mill (Figure 3; SA1545), has been suggested to lie on the northwestern edge of the study area at SJ 4845 1465. Nothing was visible at the time of a field visit in 1991, and the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 1:2500 map shows this area occupied by the targets of a rifle range firing 750 yards across the old river bed from near Round Hill at SJ 4879 1407 (SMR file SA1545; OS 1881 Sheets XXXIV.2 & 6).

The suburb of Coton Hill In the 12th and 13th centuries, both Shrewsbury and Haughmond Abbeys were acquiring land in the Coton Hill and North (Castle) Foregate suburbs of Shrewsbury. An 11th-century strap mount was found within study area at SJ 490 149 (Figure 3; a). And another similar 11th-century strap mount was found 500m to the south to the west of Ellesmere Road at SJ 492 145 (Figure 3; b). Both finds were made by metal detectorists and reported to the Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council Museums Service (Stokes, 1999, 90-1).

The King's Highway The Ellesmere Road is thought to have been one of the ancient routeways out of the medieval town of Shrewsbury. The road, sometimes referred to as 'the King's Highway' crossed the Cot Brook in the old river bed over a bridge, the Folbrugge, in approximately the same location as it does today. (James, 1950, p244)

Harlescott The northern end of the study area passes through land that formed part of the fields of the medieval manor of Harlescott. At the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086, the manor, together with that of neighbouring Albright Hussey, was held by Rainald the Sheriff from Roger of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury. Before the Norman conquest, the manors had been held by

Siward, one of the principal thegns in the county and a relative of King Edward the Confessor. The manors, known as Etbretone and Abretone, each consisted of 2 hides (c. 97 hectares). The site of the medieval moated manor house (Harlescott Grange) lies 100m to the east of the study area at SJ 501 160. The study area runs through the former open fields of the manor, and extensive traces of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing (either as cropmarks or low earthwork remains) are visible on 1983 aerial photographs in the fields immediately to the east of Ellesmere Road and the south of Huffley Lane (Cartographic Services 1983, 7515 & 7516).

3.3 The Post Medieval and Industrial Periods Most of the study area remained undeveloped agricultural land throughout the post-medieval period until the second part of the 20th century, when a substantial amount of house-building took place in the Greenfields, Mount Pleasant, and Harlescott areas.

The major exception to this was at the eastern end of the study area around the proposed C3 link, in Ditherington. In the late 18th century this area was developed as one of the towns major industrial suburbs.

The Shrewsbury Canal The principal factor in this development was probably the construction of the Shrewsbury Canal (Figure 3; SA3410). In the later part of the 18th century, the high price of coal in Shrewsbury (most of which was hauled by road from the east Shropshire coalfield) and the success of canals elsewhere in the region, led to proposals for a canal to be built between Shrewsbury and the east Shropshire coalfield. The promoters of this new canal included the Marquess of Stafford, Lord Berwick of Attingham Park, John Charlton of Apley Castle, and John Corbet of Sundorne Castle, and local ironmasters Richard and William Reynolds and John Wilkinson. The 17 mile route of the canal was surveyed in 1792 by George Young of Worcester and an Act of Parliament for its construction was obtained in 1793. Josiah Clowes was originally appointed as the engineer for the project under William Reynolds; Clowes died, however, in 1795, and was replaced as engineer by Thomas Telford, who had recently been appointed part-time Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire. The canal opened 1797. The canal was originally intended to carry 8-ton tub boats, but a number of its locks were subsequently enlarged to enable it to take the narrowboats which had become standard on the rest of the canal network. (Morriss, 1991, 17)

The use of the canal declined steadily during the second half of the 19th century, and the basin at the Shrewsbury terminal of the canal (now occupied by the British Rail long-stay carpark and the Morris Oil Co.) was abandoned in 1922. The section of the canal between the former basin and the Comet Bridge at Ditherington was abandoned in 1939, and the canal was formally abandoned in 1944.

The line of the Shrewsbury Canal runs through the study area between SJ 4988 1357 and SJ 5014 1410, and is crossed by the line of the preferred route at SJ 4993 1389

Ditherington Flax Mill In 1796-7, a flax mill (Figure 3; SA6731) was constructed alongside the canal at Ditherington. The mill was designed by Charles Bage, and was the world's first multi-storey iron-framed building. The mill was owned and operated by Marshall, Benyon and Bage until 1886; in 1897 it was acquired by William Jones and converted to a maltings, closing in 1986. As well as the flax mill (SA10235), the complex contained a number of associated structures; some of these survive, and like the main mill building are Listed Buildings: a flax dressing building (SA17303), an apprentice house (SA17304), a dye house (SA17305), stables (SA17306), workshops and offices (SA17307), a flax warehouse (SA20171). Other structures at the northern end of the complex, including the mill's own gas works, a stable, and a wash house, have not survived (Plan of the Old Factory, 1850, in SMR File SA10235).

The Ditherington Flax Mill complex lies wholly within the study area, and the northern end of the complex (including the site of the gas works and other former buildings) is crossed by the line of the preferred route of the new road.

Railways Shrewsbury and Chester Railway The Shrewsbury and Chester railway line runs south to north across the central part of the study area. The railway was opened between Shrewsbury and Chirk in July 1848 (Morriss, 1991b). The railway is still in use, and is crossed by the line of the preferred route at SJ 4886 1463

London and North Western Railway The Shrewsbury-Crewe branch of the London and North Western Railway was built between 1853 and 1858. This was initially single-tracked, but had become double-tracked by 1862 (Morriss 1991b, 27). The line is still in use, and is crossed by the line of the preferred route at SJ 4981 1399.

4 THE IMPACT ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE 4.1 The Impact of Road Construction Methods The methods employed in road construction inevitably involve the destruction of all earthwork remains and all but the deepest archaeological features within the road corridor. Most of the damage is done during the early stages of construction with the removal of topsoil from the road corridor, and the subsequent disturbance of the subsoil by heavy plant. The cutting of roadside drains, service trenches, and other ancillary works will further damage any surviving archaeological deposits. Even where the finished road is to be embanked, the initial site preparation is likely to involve the removal of topsoil and other unsuitable material from the road corridor. Any deposits surviving road construction will be sealed beneath a permanent structure and will be unavailable for future study and research.

4.2 The Impact on Specific Areas and Sites Area A: Shelton medieval settlement: The site of the medieval settlement lies within the study area, although the layout and extent of the medieval settlement is unknown. The line of the preferred route of the new road runs through open ground in the middle of this area. Any surviving features or deposits associated with the medieval settlement within the road corridor are likely to be destroyed by the road construction. There are two Grade II Listed Buildings within the study area at Shelton: a row of three late 17th century timber-framed cottages (SA20145 Nos. 5-7 Holyhead Road, Shelton), and four 18th-century brick cottages (SA10334 Nos. 1-4 Holyhead Road). These are not directly affected by the road corridor of the preferred route.

Area B: Berwick cropmark complex: The study area runs across the southern part of the Berwick cropmark complex, and a number of discrete cropmark features lie within the study area. The line of the preferred route itself does not impact on any cropmark features, but may impact on associated buried archaeological features and deposits within this area that do not show as cropmarks or have not been recorded. Any such archaeological features and deposits will be destroyed by road construction.

SA10299: A Grade II Listed Building (SA10299 Gravelhill, Gravel Hill Lane), a late 17th-century brick farmhouse, is situated within the study area at SJ 4822 1393. The house is not directly affected by the road corridor.

Area C: Farm Lodge Lane and allotment gardens, Greenfields: The site of a Roman enclosure and probable Roman villa (SA4713) and a number of findspots of prehistoric material (SA1579, SA1582, & SA2619) lie within the study area at Greenfields. The line of the preferred route of the new road does not directly impact on these sites.

Area D: Ditherington Flax Mill industrial complex: The Ditherington Flax Mill industrial complex lies entirely within the study area. The complex contains a Grade I Listed Building and six Grade II Listed Buildings. The route corridor of the C3 Link runs across the northern part of the complex, over the site of former structures (including the gas works, a stable, and a wash house) belonging to the industrial complex. Any surviving remains of these structures and

associated archaeological features and deposits will be destroyed by road construction. The site of the former gas works may contain contaminated ground. The new road will also have a considerable adverse visual impact on the Listed Buildings within the complex. Traffic pollution (sound, vibration, and exhaust) will also have a long-term impact on the Listed Buildings.

SA1545 Hencote Mill: The postulated site of the medieval watermill, Hencote Mill, and the site of 19th-century rifle range targets lie just within the northwestern side of the study area. The road corridor of the preferred route does not impact on this site.

4.3 Associated Ancillary Works Contractors' compounds, spoil dumps, and borrow pits: The siting of contractors' compounds, spoil dumps, and borrow pits can also adversely affect archaeological features and deposits lying outside the works corridor.

5 RECOMMENDED ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROVISION 5.1 Further Archaeological Evaluation Further archaeological evaluation of the study area will be required before full and final recommendations can be made regarding the provision for the archaeological resource. Further detailed study and analysis of the aerial photographic coverage of the study area is required, particularly that held at the National Monument Record at Swindon, which it has not been possible to study due to the time constraints on this assessment. A programme of field evaluation will be also be required as part of the archaeological evaluation of the study area. This should include a walk-over survey of the preferred route (and other route options if any). Field evaluation including archaeological geophysical surveys and trial excavations will be required for certain sites (see below).

5.2 Area A: Shelton medieval settlement (Figure 4): a programme of further archaeological field evaluation of the study area at Shelton between the Holyhead Road and the River Severn is considered necessary in order to produce the full recommendations for the nature and level of the archaeological provision for this part of the study area. This field evaluation is needed to test for the survival and condition of archaeological features and deposits associated with the medieval settlement at Shelton.

5.3 Area B: Berwick cropmark complex (Figure 4): a programme of further archaeological field evaluation of the study area between the River Severn and Berwick Road is considered necessary in order to produce the full recommendations for the nature and level of the archaeological provision for this part of the study area. This field evaluation is needed to test for the survival and condition of archaeological features and deposits associated with the cropmark complex comprising SA10, SA11, SA12, SA13, and SA2209. The field evaluation should comprise a programme of extensive geophysical survey, and trial excavation.

5.4 Area C: Farm Lodge Lane and allotment gardens, Greenfields (Figure 4): An archaeological watching brief should be maintained during the removal of existing ground surfaces, topsoil and subsoil from this area in order to record any archaeological features revealed during the course of this stage of the groundworks. Provision of time and resources should be made for the recording of any archaeological features revealed.

5.5 Area D: Ditherington Flax Mill industrial complex (Figure 4): A programme of further archaeological field evaluation of the site of former structures belonging to the Ditherington Flax Mill complex is considered necessary in order to produce the full recommendations for the nature and level of the archaeological provision for this part of the study area. This field evaluation will include trial excavation and is needed to test for the survival and condition of archaeological features and deposits associated with Ditherington Flax Mill complex. It is possible that environmental testing may be need to be carried out of possible contaminated ground on the former gas works. This should be carried out under archaeological supervision.

5.6 An archaeological watching brief should be maintained during the removal of existing ground surfaces, topsoil and subsoil from the entirety of the remaining parts of the study area in order to record archaeological features revealed during the course of this stage of the groundworks (Figure 4). Provision of time and resources should be made for the recording of any archaeological features revealed.

6 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED 6.1 Sources The repositories and sources consulted for the desk-based assessment included the Shropshire Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) and the Shropshire Records and Research Centre (SRRC). The National Monument Record at Swindon also holds an extensive collection of vertical and oblique aerial photographs of the study area. Shropshire Sites and Monuments Record Aerial Photographic Record Oblique Photographs (black and white prints) SJ4713/A SA10 SJ4714/A-W SA10, SA11, SA12, SA13, SA2209 Vertical Photographs - Cartographic Services (Southampton) Ltd, County of Shropshire 30th July 1983 & 13th August 1983, 1:10,000, frames 6953-4, 7000- 2, & 7515-6 (black and white prints) SMR computer files for Primary Record Numbers (PRNs): Sites and Monuments Record: SA10 Cropmark enclosures, ring ditches, and linear features, Willow Pool SA11 Cropmark enclosures and ring ditches, Almshouses SA12 Cropmark enclosures and ring ditches, SA13 Ring ditch, Powys Coppice SA68 Willow Pool (findspot of medieval pottery) SA1545 Hencote Mill SA1576 (SUAD 60421) Roman coin from road to Berwick SA1579 Flint implement from Greenfields Allotments SA1582 (SUAD 60422) Stone Axe from Falstaff St Greenfields SA2209 Gough Coppice (cropmark enclosure) SA2619 Socketed Axe from Greenfields SA2803 Crosshill (findspot of medieval coin) SA3410 Shrewsbury Canal SA4207 Hencott Lane (findspot of Roman brooch) SA4713 Roman enclosure, Farm Lodge lane, Greenfields) SA4740 Berwick Alkmund (Roman villa) SA6731 Flax Mill/Thread Manufactory, later Malt Houses latterly Maltings (Ditherington Flax Mill) Listed Buildings within the study area (SMR PRNs): SA10334 Nos. 1-4 Holyhead Road, Shelton SA20145 Nos. 5-7 Holyhead Road, Shelton SA10299 Gravelhill, Gravel Hill Lane SA10235 Former Ditherington Flax Mill and attached former malting kiln SA17303 Flax dressing building at former Ditherington Flax Mill SA17304 Apprentice house at former Ditherington Flax Mill SA17305 Dye house at former Ditherington Flax Mill SA17306 Stables at former Ditherington Flax Mill SA17307 Workshops and offices of former Ditherington Flax Mill SA20171 Flax Warehouse at former Ditherington Flax Mill

Shropshire Records and Research Centre Among the various sources consulted at the SRRC, the following proved the most productive sources of information for the particular requirements of this assessment of the study area: Cartographic sources Ordnance Survey 1881 1:2500 (25") Shropshire Sheet Nos. XXVIII.14 & 15, XXXIV.2, 3, 5, 6, & 7 Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society

6.2 Other sources and bibliography Barker, P A, Haldon, R, and Jenks, WE, 1991: Excavations on Sharpstones Hill near Shrewsbury, 1965-71, in Carver, 1991 Baugh, R, 1808: Map of Shropshire, Llanymynech Carver, M O H, 1978: "Early Shrewsbury: An Archaeological definition in 1975", TSAS, LIX, 1973-4, pp225-63 Carver, M O H (ed), 1991: "Prehistory in Lowland Shropshire", TSAHS, LXVII, 1991 Eyton, Rev. W, 1854-60: Antiquities of Shropshire Hughes, G, 1997: The excavation of a double ring ditch at Meole Brace, Shrewsbury: Second interim report, Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit Project No. 344.1 Hughes, G, and Woodward, A, 1995: Excavations at Meole Brace 1990 and at Bromfield 1981-1991, Part One. A ring ditch and Neolithic pit complex at Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, TSAHS LXX, 1995, pp1-22 Hughes, G, Leach, P, and Stanford, S C, 1995: Excavations at Meole Brace 1990 and at Bromfield 1981-1991, Part Two. Excavations at Bromfield, Shropshire 1981-1991, TSAHS LXX, 1995, pp23-94 James, R E, 1950: The Old bed of the River Severn at Shrewsbury, TSAS, LIII Part 2, 1950, pp242-50 MacLeod, M, Trinder, B, and Worthington, M, 1988: Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury, Ironbridge Institute Morey, C, and Pannett, D, 1976: The Origin of the Old river Bed at Shrewsbury, Shropshire Conservation Trust Bulletin 35, 1976, pp7-12 Morriss, R K, 1991a: Canals of Shropshire, Shropshire Books, Shrewsbury Morriss, R K, 1991b: Railways of Shropshire, Shropshire Books, Shrewsbury Ordnance Survey 1881: 1:2500 (25") 1st edition Shropshire Sheet Nos. XXXIV.2, 3, 5, & 6 Oxford Archaeology Unit, 1996: Ellesmere Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Rees, U, (ed), 1975: The Cartulary of Shrewsbury Abbey, Aberystwyth Rees, U, (ed), 1978: The Cartulary of Haughmond Abbey, Cardiff Rees, U, (ed), 1997: The Cartulary of Lilleshall Abbey, SAHS, Shrewsbury Rocque, J, 1752: Actual Survey of the County of Salop Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick, draft Environmental Statement, unpublished Stokes, M, 1999: Shrewsbury Museums Service Report 1998-1999, TSAHS vol. LXXIV, 1999, pp89-91 Thorn, F and Thorn, C (eds), 1986: Domesday Book, Shropshire, Phillimore, Chichester Toghill, P, 1990: Geology in Shropshire, Shrewsbury Tyler, A, 1981: Report on two medieval coins, WMA 24, 1984 Watson, M, 1991: "Ring Ditches of the Upper Severn Valley" in Carver (ed), 1991, pp9-14 Whimster, R, 1989: The Emerging Past: Air Photography and the Buried Landscape, RCHME White, R, 1997: Summary of Fieldwork carried out by the Wroxeter Hinterland Project, 1994-7, TSAHS vol. LXXII, 1997, pp1-8 White, R, 1998: Berewick Alkmund Park - a new villa site, The Wroxeter Hinterlands Survey Newsletter 18

Abbreviations: APs Aerial Photographs NGR National Grid Reference OS Ordnance Survey RCHME Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England SMR Sites and Monuments Record, Shire Hall, Shrewsbury SRRC Shropshire Records and Research Centre, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury TSAS Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society TSAHS Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society WMA West Midlands Archaeology VCHS Victoria County History of Shropshire

APPENDIX 1

GOMMMS SHEETS

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Feature Description Scale it matters Significance Rarity Impact Form: Medieval settlement of Shelton. Local PPG 15; Common and Substantial Medieval settlement. Shadow marks of earthworks or cropmarks PPG16 typical negative ?Earthworks or Flat/non- of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing. accumulated deposits. Post-medieval Grade II Listed Buildings. Buildings.

Survival: Field evaluation required Local PPG 15; Unknown PPG16

Condition: Field evaluation required Local PPG 15; Unknown PPG16

Complexity: Local PPG 15; Common and Components of Medieval and PPG16 typical Post-medieval settlement.

Context: Local PPG 15; Common and Medieval and Post-medieval PPG16 typical settlement.

Period: Medieval; Post-medieval

Reference source(s): County SMR PRNs: SA10334 Nos. 1-4 Holyhead Road, Shelton; SA20145 Nos. 5-7 Holyhead Road, Shelton Eyton, Rev. W, 1858: Antiquities of Shropshire vi p360 & vii p171 Thorn, F and Thorn, C (eds), 1986: Domesday Book, Shropshire, Phillimore, Chichester

Assessment score: Further field evaluation required

Qualitative comment: Further field evaluation required

ii The Shrewsbury North West Relief Road: A Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Feature Description Scale it matters Significance Rarity Impact Form: Band of cropmarks representing Regional PPG16 Nationally Substantial Flat/non-accumulated deposits Neolithic/Bronze Age Funerary monuments common and negative (ring-ditches); Bronze Age/Iron typical. Age/Romano-British farmstead enclosures Regionally and fields; medieval field system. (SA10, rare. SA11, SA12, SA13, and SA2209.)

Survival: Unknown - field evaluation required Regional PPG16 Substantial Unknown negative

Condition: Mixed agricultural land - arable and Regional PPG16 Substantial Agricultural land improved pasture negative

Complexity: Multi-period and multi-functional site. Regional PPG16 Substantial negative

Context: Regional PPG16 Substantial negative

Period: Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval

Reference source(s): County SMR PRNs: SA10, SA11, SA12, SA13, and SA2209; Carver, M O H (ed), 1991: "Prehistory in Lowland Shropshire", TSAHS, LXVII, 1991 Watson, M, 1991: "Ring Ditches of the Upper Severn Valley" in Carver (ed), 1991, pp9-14 Whimster, R, 1989: The Emerging Past: Air Photography and the Buried Landscape, RCHME

Assessment score: Moderate adverse (negative) effect

Qualitative comment: The proposals would destroy or render inaccessible for future study any buried archaeological features within the study area. Further field evaluation will be required to determine the effects of the proposals on the archaeological resource.

iii The Shrewsbury North West Relief Road: A Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Feature Description Scale it matters Significance Rarity Impact Form: Former Ditherington Flax Mill Complex International Within the Very rare Substantial Historic Building Complex (SA6731). World's first iron-framed multi- Shrewsbury negative storey building. Conservation Area Survival: Unknown - field evaluation of the site of International PPG15; PPG16 Substantial Good former structures within the complex is negative required. Condition: Unknown - field evaluation of the site of International PPG15; PPG16 Substantial Vacant former industrial former structures within the complex is negative buildings required.

Complexity: Complex contains a Grade I Listed Building, International PPG15; PPG16 Substantial Component of Post-medieval 6 Grade II Listed Buildings, other associated negative urban suburb structures, and unknown buried structures and deposits. Context: Industrial complex within a post-medieval International PPG15; PPG16 Substantial Post-medieval urban urban suburb. negative component

Period: Post-medieval

Reference source(s): County SMR PRNs: SA10235 Former Ditherington Flax Mill and attached former malting kiln; SA17303 Flax dressing building at former Ditherington Flax Mill; SA17304 Apprentice house at former Ditherington Flax Mill; SA17305 Dye house at former Ditherington Flax Mill; SA17306 Stables at former Ditherington Flax Mill; SA17307 Workshops and offices of former Ditherington Flax Mill; SA20171 Flax Warehouse at former Ditherington Flax Mill MacLeod, M, Trinder, B, and Worthington, M, 1988: Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury, Ironbridge Institute Ordnance Survey 1881: 1:2500 (25") 1st edition Shropshire Sheet Nos. XXXIV.7

Assessment score: Large adverse (negative) effect.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Feature Description Scale it matters Significance Rarity Impact Form: Line of the Shrewsbury Canal (SA3410) and Local PPG16 Common and Substantial Canal (dis-used) a canal basin. typical negative

Survival: Unknown: field evaluation required (see Local PPG16 Substantial Unknown former Ditherington Flax Mill (SA6731) negative

Condition: Unknown Local PPG16 Substantial Unknown negative

Complexity: Beyond the study area, the canal is a Local PPG16 Substantial Component of Post-medieval component in other Historic Landscapes negative urban suburb and industrial complex

Context: Dis-used canal and canal basin with Local PPG16 Substantial Component of Post-medieval possible wharfage associated with the negative urban suburb and industrial former Ditherington Flax Mill. complex

Period Post-medieval

Reference source(s): Morriss, R K, 1991: Canals of Shropshire, Shropshire Books, Shrewsbury Ordnance Survey 1881: 1:2500 (25") 1st edition Shropshire Sheet Nos. XXXIV.7

Assessment score: Large adverse (negative) effect.