Halfway Garage Padworth West Berkshire

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

CA PROJECT: 1763 CA REPORT: 04091

Author: Mark Brett

Approved: Cliff Bateman

Signed: …………………………………………………………….

Issue: 01 Date: May 2004

This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission.

Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

The site ...... 3 Archaeological background ...... 4 Archaeological objectives ...... 4 Methodology...... 4

2. RESULTS ...... 5

Trench 1 ...... 5 Trench 2 ...... 5

3. DISCUSSION ...... 6

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 7

5. REFERENCES ...... 7

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ...... 8 APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES ...... 8

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25 000) Fig. 2 Location of trenches (1: 1000) Fig. 3 Trench 1; plan and sections

1 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

SUMMARY

Site Name: Halfway Garage Location: Padworth, West Berkshire NGR: SU 6067 6780 Type: Evaluation Date: 13 May 2004 Location of Archive: West Berkshire Heritage Service, Newbury Museum Site Code: HGP 04

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in May 2004 at the request of George Wimpey South West Ltd on land at Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire. In compliance with an approved WSI (CA 2004), two trenches were excavated within the proposed development area.

The evaluation identified a pit and a posthole, both of which remained undated, but may represent activity associated with a number of archaeological sites within close proximity to the proposed development area, which range from Neolithic to Roman in date.

2 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In May 2004 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for George Wimpey South West Ltd on land at Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire (centred on NGR: SU 6067 6780; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany an application for planning permission for residential development of the site. An archaeological desk-based assessment, which will also accompany the application, has previously been undertaken for the site and its immediate hinterland (CA 2004a).

1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed written scheme of investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2004b). The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999), and the Management of Archaeological Projects II (EH 1991). It was monitored by Duncan Coe, Archaeological Officer for West Berkshire Council, including a site visit on 17 May 2004.

The site

1.3 The proposed development area lies within Lower Padworth, a linear settlement stretching along the southern side of the A4 London to Bath road. The site currently comprises the buildings and forecourt of a petrol station, the buildings of a disused garage and two derelict houses and their gardens, and is approximately 0.7ha. It is bounded to the south-west by a hotel, to the south-east by a railway line, to the north-east by a residential property, and to the north-west by the A4. The site is relatively flat and lies at approximately 53m AOD.

1.4 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Sand and Clay of the Palaeocene Lambeth Group, overlain by drift deposits of Beenham Grange Gravel associated with the River Kennet (BGS 2000).

3 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

Archaeological background

1.5 The archaeological and historical background of the proposed development area has been subject to an archaeological desk-based assessment undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (2004a). It is not intended to repeat the findings of that assessment in full here, rather this report should be read in conjunction with it. In summary, the assessment identified a number of sites and findspots dating from Neolithic to post-medieval in date within the immediate vicinity of the proposed development area. These include a Neolithic ring-ditch, a Bronze Age settlement, Iron Age occupation deposits and a Roman bath-house.

Archaeological objectives

1.6 The objectives of the evaluation were to provide data on the date, character, quality, survival and extent of the archaeological deposits within the application area in order that an informed decision on their importance in a local, regional or national context can be made. This information will clarify whether any remains are of sufficient importance to warrant consideration for preservation in situ, or alternatively form the basis of mitigation measures that may seek to limit damage to significant remains.

Methodology

1.7 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of two 10m-long trenches (Trenches 1 and 2; see Fig. 2), each 1.5m wide. The presence of live underground services necessitated the rearrangement of the location of both trenches, however the basic layout of the trenching remained within the spirit of the original WSI. The modified trench positions were located according to the plan shown as Fig. 2.

1.8 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996).

4 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

1.9 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive will be deposited with Newbury Museum.

2. RESULTS

2.1 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts are to be found in Appendix 1. Details of the relative heights of the principal deposits and features expressed as metres Above Ordnance Datum (m AOD) appear in Appendix 2.

Trench 1

2.2 Natural gravel substrate 103 was encountered at a depth of 0.35m below present ground level. It was cut by circular posthole 104 from which no artefactual material was retrieved. To the north-west, pit 106 was partially revealed cutting the natural gravel. It was rounded, with a generally concave profile, and a step along its south- eastern side. It was 1m wide and contained single fill 107 which was also devoid of any dating evidence.

2.3 Posthole 104 was sealed by subsoil 102 which was present only in the south- easternmost 4m of the trench; throughout the remainder of the trench the subsoil had been truncated resulting in the l gravel substrate being directly overlain by topsoil 101.

Trench 2

2.4 Natural gravel substrate 103 was encountered at a depth of 0.35m below present ground level. It was overlain throughout by subsoil 202, similar to that in Trench 1, which was in turn sealed by modern garden soil 201. No archaeological features were revealed in Trench 2

5 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

The Finds

2.5 No artefactual evidence was recovered during this evaluation.

The Biological Evidence

2.6 Although assessed for their palaeoarchaeological potential, no deposits were sampled during the course of this evaluation.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 The evaluation trenching has confirmed the presence of undated archaeological deposits surviving within the proposed development area. However these deposits appear to be of a limited nature and, in the absence of dating evidence, interpretation can only be made at a basic level.

3.2 The presence of a posthole is perhaps indicative of structural activity although the nature and extent of this remains undetermined. When considered together with the nearby pit, both features intimate settlement activity, however again, interpretation of the nature and date of this activity would be purely conjectural.

3.3 The fertile Lower Kennet Valley is known to have been intensively settled from at least the Middle Bronze Age, with occupation dated to the Neolithic period suggested by the large number of monuments and findspots of this date (Lobb and Rose 1996). The activity within the proposed development area could therefore be associated with any of the main periods of occupation represented by known sites and findspots in the vicinity, and although it is not possible to date the features, the similarity of their fills does suggest a degree of contemporaneity between them.

3.4 The evaluation trenches were located within the gardens of the two residential properties that form the north-eastern part of the proposed development. This area was identified by the desk-based assessment as having the most potential to contain surviving archaeological deposits (the remainder of the site having largely been disturbed by 19th and 20th-century activity including gravel extraction and construction of the commercial premises). The presence of the natural substrate at

6 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

such a relatively shallow depth below the modern ground surface, together with the lack of depth of the observed features themselves, increases the likelihood that any archaeological deposits across the south-western part of the site have been largely disturbed by the previous episodes of development.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Mark Brett, assisted by Nick Witchell. The report was written by Mark Brett and the illustrations were prepared by Pete Moore. The archive has been compiled by Mark Brett, and prepared for deposition by Ed McSloy. The project was managed for CA by Cliff Bateman.

5. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2000 England and Wales Sheet 268 Reading

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2004a Halfway Garage, Padworth, Berkshire: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2004b Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Written Scheme of Invesrtigation for an Archaeological Evaluation

Lobb, S. J. and Rose, P. G. 1996 Archaeological Survey of the Lower Kennet Valley, Berkshire, Wessex Archaeology Report No. 9

7 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench 1 Context No Description Depth/thickness (m) 101 Garden topsoil. Very dark grey-brown sandy silt. Loose; <0.35 bonded mainly by roots. Contains frequent flint gravel. Graduates into 102. 102 Subsoil. Gravel within a mid orange-brown sandy silt matrix. 0.15 Friable-loose. Contains frequent flecks and small lumps of charcoal. Present only in SE end of Trench 1, truncated to NW. 103 Natural substrate. Fine to coarse flint gravel within a dark n/k orange-brown sandy matrix. Loose. 104 Circular posthole cut. 0.4m in diameter. Regular sides, 0.12 sloping c50º. Rounded base. 105 Fill of 104. Mid yellow-brown clay sand. Loose. Contains 0.12 frequent gravel. 106 Rounded pit cut, only partially exposed by trench. 1m wide. 0.3 NW side regular, sloping c35º. SE side ‘stepped’. Rounded base. 107 Fill of 106. Mid yellow-brown clay sand. Loose. Contains 0.3 frequent gravel.

Trench 2 Context No Description Depth/thickness (m) 201 Garden topsoil. Very dark grey-brown sandy silt. Loose; 0.2 bonded mainly by roots. Contains frequent flint gravel. Graduates into 202. 202 Subsoil. Gravel within a mid orange-brown sandy silt matrix. 0.15 Friable-loose. Contains frequent flecks and small lumps of charcoal. 203 Natural substrate. Fine to coarse flint gravel within a dark n/k orange-brown sandy matrix. Loose.

APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES

Levels are expressed as metres below current ground level and as metres Above Ordnance Datum (AOD), calculated using a spot-height located on the A4 (54.00m AOD).

Trench 1 Trench 2 Current ground level 0.00m 0.00m (53.31m) (53.27m) Limit of excavation/top of 0.40m 0.40m archaeological horizon (52.94m) (52.83m)

Upper figures are depth below modern ground level, lower figures in parentheses are metres AOD.

8 Lower Berkshire Padworth

Site

Fig. 1 Site location plan HEDGE 1H

RAIL

DRAIN

CHEVRONS

HEDGE 2H

HEDGE 3H

HEDGE 2H

WALL 1H

HEDGE 1H

1.8H CBF N

HEDGE 2H

RL:58.30 EL:55.55

CHEVRONS

1.2H CLF HEDGE 3H

1.0H CONC HEDGE 1H PRF

CONC

IL:52.73 CONC WALL HEDGE 2H 0.450Ø

BATH ROAD T2 TM

DRAIN FENCE SPOIL T1 1.5H PWF/HEDGE 3H

CONC

OVERHANG LAY-BY DRAIN

PUMPS TM

DRAIN SPOIL SPOIL FENCE CONC PUMPS KERB SPOIL

1.0 H CLF 1.8H CBF

SHOP CAR WASH CONC

HEDGE 1H

1.8H CBF

1.5H PWF

EL:58.80 RL:62.80 1.8H CBF

EDGING

HEDGE 1H RAIL TRACK

IL:52.93 0.600Ø

RL:61.05 EL:58.80

1.8H CBF

EDGING 1.5H PWF LAY-BY

CHEVRONS

site evaluation trench 0 100m

Fig. 2 Location of trenches (1:1,000) N

section 2

modern 106 104 feature section 1 301

0 5m

Section 1 Section 2

SE NW SE NW 53.20m 53.00m AOD 101 AOD 105 natural 104 103 107

natural 106 103

0 1m

Fig. 3 Trench 1; plan (1:50) and sections (1:20)