4 High Street, Kingswood Wotton-Under-Edge Gloucestershire

4 HIGH STREET, KINGSWOOD WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE GLOUCESTERSHIRE

PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING

CA PROJECT: 1531 CA REPORT: 03057

Author: Franco A Vartuca

Approved: Mary Alexander

Signed: …………………………………………………………….

Issue: 01 Date: 15 May 2003

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.

4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

CONTENTS

SUMMARY...... 3

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 4

The site ...... 4 Archaeological background...... 4 Methodology ...... 5

2. RESULTS ...... 5

3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ...... 6

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 6

5. REFERENCES ...... 6

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...... 7

APPENDIX 2: THE FINDS...... 7

INTRODUCTION ...... 7

Concordance of finds ...... 7

APPENDIX 3: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS ...... 7

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Site location plan Fig. 2 The site, showing location of groundworks

2 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

SUMMARY

Site Name: 4 High Street Location: Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire NGR: SO 7465 9190 Type: Programme of Archaeological Recording Date: 7-8 May 2003 Planning Reference: SO1/1650 Location of Archive: Stroud District Museum Site Code: HSK 03

A programme of archaeological recording was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with the construction of a single storey extension to the side of 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire.

No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks and no artefactual material predating the modern period was recovered.

3 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In May 2003 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out a programme of archaeological recording for Mr R. Greenhalgh at 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: SO 7465 9190; Fig. 1).

1.2 The programme of archaeological recording was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to a planning consent for the construction of a single storey extension to the side of the building, planning permission being granted by Stroud District Council (Planning ref: SO1/1650). The objective of the watching brief was to record all archaeological remains exposed during the development.

1.3 The archaeological fieldwork was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological recording prepared by Mr Charles Parry, Senior Archaeological Officer for Gloucestershire County Council, the archaeological advisor to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent written scheme of investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2003) and approved by the LPA acting on the advice of Mr Parry. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999), and the Statement of Standards and Practices Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire (GCC 1995).

The site

1.4 The proposed development area encloses an area of approximately 22.5m2 and was formerly laid to garden paving, adjacent to the south-west side of the existing property at 4 High Street (Fig. 2). The site lies on level ground at approximately 50m AOD.

1.5 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Lower Lias of the Lower Jurassic period (Institute of Geological Sciences 1979).

Archaeological background

1.6 Archaeological interest in the site arises from its location within an area identified as the site of Kingswood’s medieval Cistercian abbey, and any groundworks required

4 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

for the development may therefore reveal significant archaeological deposits and/or finds.

Methodology

1.7 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2003). An archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks, comprising the hand- excavation of the total area of the extension, reducing it to a depth of approximately 0.85m from the present ground level, followed by the hand-excavation of footing trenches, which typically measured 0.60m in width and 0.25m in depth (Fig. 2).

1.8 Two narrow trenches measuring 0.30m in width, 0.60m in depth were also excavated by hand at the north-west end of the site in order to redirect a water pipe from the neighbouring property (Fig. 2).

1.9 Written, graphic and photographic records were compiled in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996).

1.10 Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the finds and site archive will be deposited with Stroud District Museum.

2. RESULTS

2.1 Due to the substantial depth of made-up ground encountered, the natural geological substrate consisting of Lower Lias clay was not revealed in any of the footing trenches, which were excavated to a maximum depth of 1.1m below the present ground level. Instead, a compacted, dump/levelling layer 103, consisting of bright yellow-brown clay mixed with frequent angular fragments of crushed limestone and very occasional charcoal flecks, was revealed at an average depth of 0.90m below present ground level. This was overlain by another compacted, dump/levelling layer 102, approximately 0.30m thick, which was almost identical to 103, except that it was pale yellow-brown in colour and contained very occasional angular fragments of limestone mixed with occasional limestone, brick and charcoal flecks. This in turn was overlain by a final dump/levelling layer 101, approximately 0.40m thick. It consisted of loose, dark grey-brown clay silt mixed with abundant modern building

5 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

rubble and occasional domestic refuse, which was in turn sealed by fairly compacted, dark grey-brown garden soil with turf in places 100, approximately 0.20m thick.

2.2 The two narrow trenches excavated in order to redirect the water pipe revealed a dump/levelling layer identical to 101 which in turn was sealed by garden soil and turf identical to 100 (Fig. 2).

2.3 No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks and, despite visual scanning of spoil, no artefactual material predating the modern period was recovered.

3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

3.1 Despite the archaeological potential of the application area (see archaeological background above), no archaeological remains were identified within the area of observed groundworks. The substantial depth of dump/levelling deposits revealed and the absence of any buried topsoil or subsoil horizons suggest that the original ground level has been truncated to a considerable depth, probably during the construction of the present house. The survival of archaeological remains within the site is therefore unlikely.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Franco Vartuca, who also compiled this report. The illustrations were prepared by Lorna Grey. The archive has been compiled by Franco Vartuca, and prepared for deposition by Ed McSloy. The project was managed for CA by Mary Alexander.

5. REFERENCES

CA 2003 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Written Scheme of Investigation for a Programme of Archaeological Recording

Institute of Geological Sciences 1979 Geological Map of the United Kingdom, South. 3rd Edition, Solid

6 4 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench 1

100 Topsoil and turf: faily compacted, dark grey-brown clay silt with very occasional small fragments and flecks of brick, mortar and limestone. Depth 0.20m. 101 Dump/levelling layer: fairly loose, dark grey-brown clay silt mixed with abundant modern building rubble (concrete, brick, tile, slate, limestone, glass, wood, plastic fragments) and occasional domestic refuse (china/porcelain, clay tobbacco pipe stems, glass, animal bone, oyster shell, coal fragments). Depth 0.40m. 102 Dump/levelling layer: compacted, pale yellow-brown clay with very occasional small angular fragments of limestone and occasional limestone, brick and charcoal flecks. Depth 0.30m. 103 Dump/levelling layer: compacted, bright yellow-brown clay with frequent small and medium sized angular fragments of limestone and very occasional charcoal flecks. Depth 0.20m+(not bottomed).

APPENDIX 2: THE FINDS

SUMMARY

Small quantities of pottery, vessel glass and clay pipe were recovered during the groundworks. All finds derive from a single topsoil context and have now been discarded.

Concordance of finds

101 45 sherds of post-medieval-modern pottery (855g). Modern china, cone trailed yellow slipware, glazed earthenware, tin glazed earthenware, Westerwald stoneware, salt glazed white stoneware. 1 fragment of clear bottle glass (36g) 9 fragments of clay tobbacco pipe (37g)

APPENDIX 3: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS

Levels are expressed as metres below current ground level and as metres above Ordnance Datum, calculated using a contour line that crosses the site (50m AOD).

Trench 1 Trench 2 Trench 3 (pipe trench) (pipe trench) Current ground level 0.00m 0.00m 0.00m (50m) (50m) (50m) Limit of excavation 1.10m 0.60m 0.60m (48.90m) (49.40m) (49.40m)

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

747

919

Reproduced from the 2003 Ordnance Survey 1:1250 map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, c Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeological Trust AL50196A

Site Groundworks

0 50m ST

Fig. 2 Location of groundworks