Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services
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Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services A Desk -based Assessment on the Lansdowne Secure Unit , Hailsham, East Sussex by Chris Butler September 2009 Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham Summary An archaeological Desk-based Assessment has been carried out on land at the Lansdowne Secure Unit, Hawks Road, Hailsham, East Sussex. The desk-based assessment has established that until the housing development around the site and the construction of the Lansdowne Centre in the 1970’s, the area had been used as farmland, although in the Post Medieval period there were a number of brick and tile works nearby. Although there is no existing evidence for previous activity at the site, given the activity in the broader landscape, it is possible that as yet undiscovered below-ground archaeology may be affected by any development at the site. Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services Prehistoric Flintwork Specialist Rosedale Berwick, Polegate East Sussex BN26 6TB Tel & fax: 01323 871021 e mail: [email protected] Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives & Scope of Report 3.0 Methodology 4.0 Archaeological Background 5.0 Impact of Development 6.0 Conclusions 7.0 Acknowledgements Figures: Fig. 1 Site Location and Archaeologically Sensitive Areas Fig. 2 Map showing sites from the Historic Environment Record (HER) Fig. 3 Map showing Mesolithic sites around the Pevensey Levels Fig. 4 Hailsham Tithe Map Fig. 5 Hellingly Tithe Map Fig. 6 1st Edition OS Map Fig. 7 2nd Edition OS Map Fig. 8 3rd Edition OS Map Fig. 9 4th Edition OS Map Fig. 10 1947 Aerial Photograph Fig. 11 Plan of site showing impact of previous developments Fig. 12-13 Photographs Appendices: Appendix 1 Archaeological Sites Recorded on HER Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham 1. Introduction 1.1 Chris Butler Archaeological Services was commissioned by Adams Johns Kennard Ltd to carry out an Archaeological Desk-based Assessment of the Lansdowne Secure Unit, Hawks Road, Hailsham in order to establish the likely presence and importance of any archaeological remains that may be affected by the proposed development. 1.2 The Lansdowne Secure Unit is located at TQ 58695 10839 (Fig. 1), on the corner of Hawks Road and Howlett Drive in north Hailsham. Hawks Road runs north from the B2104 out of the town centre to Upper Horsebridge where it joins the A271. It was originally built as a multi-purpose children’s centre in the 1970’s. 1.3 The property comprises a substantial two-storey detached building that was built in the 1970’s. It is enclosed by high hedges on the road frontage, and is situated within a residential area comprising semi and detached low density housing. There is an area of open grass to the north of the building. The site is not a Scheduled Ancient Monument or Listed Building, and the site is not currently considered to be an Archaeological Sensitive Area (ASA). 1.4 The site is located at around 25m OD on a gentle north-east facing slope which continues down to a small stream which feeds into the Pevensey Levels to the east of the site. The ground rises gently to west, before dropping down into the River Cuckmere valley. 1.5 The geology of the site, according to the British Geological Survey (sheet 319/334), comprises Weald Clay with Tunbridge Wells Sand and clay situated a short distance to the north of the site. 1.6 This report initially covers the methodology used in the Desk-based Assessment, then discusses the objectives and scope of the survey and reviews the archaeological heritage of the area. Finally a conclusion assesses the potential impact of the development. 1.7 A full listing of all the known archaeological sites is contained in Appendix 1 to this report. 1 Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham 2. Objectives & Scope of Report 2.1 The objective of this report is to gain information about the known or potential archaeological resource of the site and its immediate area. This will include information relating to the presence or absence of any archaeology, its character and extent, date, integrity, state of preservation, and the relative quality of the potential archaeological resource. 2.2 This will allow an assessment of the merit of the archaeology in context to be made, leading to the formulation of a strategy for the recording, preservation and management of the resource or, where necessary, the formulation of a strategy for further investigation where the character and value of the resource is not sufficiently defined to permit a mitigation strategy or other response to be defined. 2.3 The report will consider the archaeological resource within a radius of 1km around the site, whilst also taking into account sites further afield where these may be considered to have an impact or relevance to the site in its landscape setting. 2.4 It should be noted that this report can only take into account the existing known archaeology, and by its nature cannot provide a complete record of the archaeological resource of the site. Its intention is to provide an overview of the known archaeology in the area of the site, from which judgements can be made about the potential archaeological resource of the site itself. 3. Methodology 3.1 This Desk-based Assessment has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG16), the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Desk-based Assessment (Institute of Field Archaeologists 2001), and the Standards for Archaeological Fieldwork, Recording and Post Excavation Work in East Sussex (ESCC 2008). 3.2 The research for this Desk-based Assessment has included an analysis of the following resources: • ESCC Historic Environment Record (HER) • Historic mapping (provided with ESCC HER) • East Sussex Record Office (ESRO) cartographic and historical documents • British Geological Survey • Victoria County History (VCH) • Web-based research • Aerial Photograph search • Personal & Public library resources 2 Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham 3.3 The following maps were used: • Saxton 1579 • Speed 1610 • Mordern 1695 • Yeakell and Gardner's Sussex 1778-1783 • Timeline Historical Map 198 • 1842 Hailsham Tithe map (ESRO – TD/E140) • 1842 Hellingly Tithe map (ESRO – TD/E5) • 1st Edition OS Map (1875) • 2nd Edition OS Map (1899) • 3rd Edition OS Map (1910) • 4th Edition OS Map (1928) Other earlier maps of Sussex were not sufficiently detailed to provide any useful information. Information gained from the map regression exercise is contained in the Post Medieval section below. 3.4 The sites recorded on the HER are listed in Appendix 1 to this report (shown on Fig. 2), and mentioned in the text where relevant. Historical and other sources are given as footnotes as appropriate. 3.5 A site visit was undertaken on the 11 th September 2009 (Figs 12 -13). This established that most of the northern part of the site is currently under grass, and the property is bounded by fences on the north and east sides, and a tall hedge on the west and south sides. The ground slopes gently down to the north away from the current building, and then levels out by the northern boundary of the site. The current two-storey detached building, which was built in the 1970’s, appears to have been terraced into the slope, and incorporates external tarmac recreation areas, enclosed by high fences. 3.6 On south-east side of the site is a tarmac car park, and to the south of this a terrace of three houses, with gardens to the east and a tarmac driveway between them and the main building, which leads to the main entranceway from Howlett Drive at the south end of the site. A further small tarmac car park is situated at the secondary entranceway from Hawks Road on the north-west side of the site. Around the other sides of the main building there are areas of grass and some small trees 3.7 In the north-east corner of the site there are two mounds; a large oval mound some 12-15m in diameter and 2m high, and to its north a crescent –shaped mound 0.8m high. These may have originally been a single mound. The larger mound appears to have feature cut into its top, although this was too overgrown to be able to investigate further. A linear mound 5m long, 1m wide and 0.4m high is situated between these mounds and the building, and has an adjacent man-hole cover. 3 Chris Butler MIFA Lansdowne Secure Unit Archaeological Services Hailsham 4. Archaeological Background 4.0.1 This section considers each archaeological period in turn, reviewing the known archaeological resource of the area, defining its location and extent, character, date, integrity, state of preservation, and quality. Sites on the HER are shown on Fig. 2. 4.0.2 The review of each period will also bring in evidence for that period from a wider area, especially where there is little known archaeological evidence locally. This will enable a more accurate judgement to be made about the archaeological potential for the site. This evidence will include that taken from similar landscapes and geologies. 4.1 Palaeolithic Period (750,000BC – 10,000BC) 4.1.1 This period covers a huge period of time, during which early hominid occupation of Southern Britain was intermittent. The period is divided into warm and cold periods, with the evidence suggesting that hominid occupation occurred during some of the warm periods. Apart from a small number of exceptional sites (e.g.