Additional Sites 27
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Lancaster District Additional Sites Initial Desktop Archaeological Assessment 12 September 2017 Lancashire Archaeological Advisory Service 1 Carr House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1SW [email protected] Introduction and Methodology Lancaster City Council, as part of the evidence base to support the emerging Local Plan, are seeking an archaeological assessment of a number of sites across the Lancaster District, proposed to be allocated for development. Lancashire Archaeological Advisory Service has been commissioned to extract a relevant data set from the Lancashire Historic Environment Record, held by Lancashire County Council, and to provide an initial archaeological appraisal of each of the proposed development sites in order to identify any nearby archaeological heritage assets and to assess the potential scale of impact. The boundaries of the sites, names, etc. were provided by Lancaster City Council as ArcGIS shapefiles. For each site the following information has been requested: • Identification of known heritage assets (designated and non-designated) within the site; • Outline assessment of the site's potential to retain unknown buried deposits; • Identification of designated or non-designated heritage assets nominally within 500m or such other distance as may be appropriate taking into account the significance of the asset and the circumstances of the site; • Overall conclusion to establish whether the site is considered to be of no archaeological significance/ of some archaeological significance/ of high archaeological significance and whether any heritage assets are considered to be of negligible/local/regional/national importance; • Recommendations for future survey, where it is deemed appropriate. The assessment has been undertaken utilising existing datasets, archaeological reports, publications, etc. held at the Lancashire Historic Environment Record. No further documentary research has been undertaken nor have further sources of information been sought out. Only where specifically stated has a targetted site visit also been conducted. Limits of this assessment This assessment work has been undertaken using professional judgement by Peter Iles, BSc MSc MCIfA. No formal system of scoring has been used to assign potential or significance to the proposed development sites, although experience of such procedures and of providing information and advice on archaeological planning matters in Lancashire has contributed to the conclusions drawn. Statements that follow should therefore be taken as an informed professional opinion, rather than fact. 1 LPSA 3: Land north of Aldcliffe This is a substantial greenfield site extending from the north side of the present village and east to the Lancaster Canal. It falls completely within the demesne land associated with the demolished Aldcliffe Hall. The estate is said to have been established in the 12 th century. It incorporates the eastern part of the former drive to the 19 th century hall (the western part is now Aldcliffe Hall Drive) but excludes the Listed former gate lodge of 1827 (now a residence) the drive's eastern end by the canal. Trees along the former drive, alongside Aldcliffe Road and an approximately L-shaped woodland west of the gate lodge are surviving landscape features of the park, other tree bands and clumps shown in the park on 19 th century mapping can still be identified but have limited survival. Aerial photography also suggests that survival of pre-park features as standing earthworks is rare. Beyond the former drive, the Historic Environment Record (HER) does not note any known heritage assets within the site, although a medieval scabbard was found only a short distance to its north. Also on the site's northern boundary and flanking a public footpath is an unusual section of early concrete wall, said to have been an experimental construction by E B Dawson at some time in his ownership of the Aldcliffe Estate between 1875 and 1910. Roman, medieval and later finds have been made in the wider area and the site is considered to have some limited potential for buried early remains to exist. As noted above the Listed Gd II former gate lodge to Aldcliffe Hall stands just outside the eastern edge of the site. Nos 1-5 Aldcliffe Village are Listed Gd II and are (at closest) 165m from the southern tip of the development site, but modern housing to their north will mean that their setting will not be significantly impacted by development on this site. To the northeast Haverbreaks Bridge over the Lancaster Canal is also Listed Gd II, but again impact on its setting from development of this site is likely to be limited. The Aldcliffe Road Conservation Area runs north from the canal bridge and the impact of increased traffic through it resulting from development here will need to be considered. Finally the Lancaster Canal itself, whilst not Listed per se , is a heritage asset of more than local significance and runs very close to the eastern tip of the development site. Impacts on its setting by development and increases in traffic will need to be considered. The site is considered to be of local archaeological significance. A formal heritage statement should accompany any planning proposal for the site, which should include the results of a desk-based study and walk-over survey, but archaeological investigations of the potential buried remains can be made a condition of any planning consent granted. LPSA 4: Land north of Ashlar Lodge, Aldcliffe Hall Drive, Aldcliffe This site comprises a small greenfield area north of five 20 th century houses along the former drive to the 19 th century Aldcliffe Hall and east of the estate home farm buildings. It lies inside the former park associated with the hall and aerial photography suggests that it retains some agricultural earthworks associated with the farming of the park. The curving boundary between the site and the garden to Ashlar House appears to represent the former edge of an embanked pond noted on OS 1:2,500 mapping of the late 19 th and early 20 th century. This pond is said to have been supplied or supplemented by a pumphouse (whose base is still extant and which may have been constructed by E B Dawson during his ownership of the Aldcliffe Estate, 1875-1910) located some 325m to the northeast on the west side of Aldcliffe Road. The Historic Environment Record (HER) does not note any known heritage assets within the site, although finds of Roman to Medieval dates have been made in the wider area. 2 The Listed Gd II nos 1-5 Aldcliffe Village are c.135m to the south of the site, although intervening development means that development here is unlikely to impact their setting. The 1827 lodge to the former hall (also Gd II) lies 195m to the east-north-east, but again significant impacts on its setting by development here are unlikely. The site is considered to be of local archaeological significance, mainly by virtue of its location within the park and the presence of the earthworks noted above. A formal heritage statement should accompany any planning proposal for the site, which should include the results of a desk-based study and walk-over survey, but archaeological investigations of any potential buried remains identified by this work can be made a condition of any planning consent granted. LPSA 23: Vicarage in Bolton-le-Sands This is a partially developed site, formerly the vicarage and vicarage garden to Holy Trinity Church (formerly dedicated to St Michael), Bolton-le-Sands. The Listed Gd II* church stands on the opposite side of Main Road to the development site and is known to have been extant in 1094. The present church retains a 15 th century tower and nave aisle, but the remainder is early and mid-19 th work. Within the proposed development site nos 117 and 117a represent the former vicarage, recently refurbished and subdivided. A large detached house and crescent of apartments have also recently been constructed within the plot, the remainder being set to wooded communal gardens, access and parking areas. A number of fragments of pre-Conquest and medieval crosses and grave monuments were formerly preserved in the vicarage garden, but the known examples have since been relocated in the church and graveyard. The HER does not record any other archaeological sites within the plot, and 19 th -21 st century construction, landscaping and tree cover make it unlikely that substantial early remains (of for example a medieval vicarage like that at Warton) will survive here. There is a possibility that some further medieval decorated stones from the church and churchyard will have been lost within the gardens, but the probability of this seems low. The site falls completely within the Conservation Area at Bolton-le-Sands. As well as the Listed Gd II* church noted above, its graveyard facing the development site contains a Gd II cross base, probably of medieval origin. No 115 Main Road immediately north of the site is Listed Gd II, as is the Blue Anchor Hotel (PH) which is on the opposite side of Main Road to the northern tip of the site. Further Gd II buildings stand within the village only a short distance (30m+) to the north of the site. The Listed Gd II* Hawkshead Farm (1 The Nook) stands only 45m to the northeast and further Gd II buildings lie 50-130m to the northeast The site is considered to be of local archaeological significance, by virtue of its location within the conservation area, its proximity to the church and to the other Listed Buildings. A formal heritage statement will be necessary for further development here, but it only needs to address setting issues and not archaeological remains. LPSA 39: Land south of 1-19 Hawthorn Close, Brookhouse This is a small greenfield site on the south side of a 1960s development at Brookhouse.