Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital Stapleton Bristol

LAND AT BLACKBERRY HILL HOSPITAL STAPLETON BRISTOL

PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING

CA PROJECT: 1584 CA REPORT: 06045 ADDENDUM TO CA REPORT: 03187

Author: Richard Young

Approved: Simon Cox

Signed: …………………………………………………………….

Issue: 01 Date: 29 MARCH 2006

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.

Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 4

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 5

The site ...... 5 Archaeological background ...... 6 Methodology ...... 7

2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ...... 7

3. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 7

4. REFERENCES ...... 7

2 Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Locations of photographs (1:500) Fig. 3 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking east Fig. 4 The interior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking west Fig. 5 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking north Fig. 6 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking south Fig. 7 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking south-west Fig. 8 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking north-west Fig. 9 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking east Fig. 10 The interior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking west Fig. 11 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking west Fig. 12 The interior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking east Fig. 13 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking west Fig. 14 The exterior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking north-west Fig. 15 The interior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking south Fig. 16 The interior of the former Orchard Day Hospital, looking north-east

3 Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

SUMMARY

Site Name: Blackberry Hill Hospital Location: Blackberry Hill, Stapleton, Bristol NGR: Centred at ST 628 763 Type: Programme of Archaeological Recording Date: December 2003 and March 2006 Planning References: 02/00426/LC & 02/0425/P/E Location of Archive: To be deposited with Bristol City Museum Accession no. 2003/38 Site Code: BHH 03

This report details the results of a programme of photographic recording undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) in December 2003 and March 2006 for Inventures (on behalf of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership) at the former Orchard Day Hospital, part of Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol This report details the results of the recording of the former Orchard Day Hospital building. The results of a watching brief and the recording of the Piggery building were detailed in CA report 03187.

A full photographic record was made of those parts of the former Orchard Day Hospital that are scheduled for alteration and demolition.

4 Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This report details the results of a programme of photographic recording undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) in December 2003 and March 2006 for Inventures (on behalf of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership) at the former Orchard Day Hospital, part of Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol (centred on NGR: ST 628 763; 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 secure mental health unit and associated demolition and groundworks (Bristol City Council Planning refs: 02/00426/LC and 02/0425/P/E). The objectives of the work were to record those parts of the historic building that were scheduled for demolition or alteration.

1.3 The archaeological fieldwork was carried out in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI), produced by CA (2003) and approved by Jon Brett (Bristol City Council Archaeological Officer). The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999).

The site

1.4 The development area lies to the north-east of the Blackberry Hill Hospital complex and included the Fromeside Clinic, Orchard Day Hospital, Maples Rehabilitation Unit and part of an area of former playing fields. A single older building, the former Piggery (Bristol SMR Nos 2115 and 2116), originally constructed in 1897 and subsequently incorporated within later changing rooms for the playing fields, lay in the south-eastern corner of the site. The site slopes gently, rising to the south-west. A bund, reportedly constructed of material imported during the construction of the M32 lies within the northern boundary of the site which is marked by a former boundary wall, beyond which the ground drops sharply down to the River Frome. To the west and south-west of the development site lie Blackberry Hill Hospital and the University of West of England Health and Social Care Faculty.

5 Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology

Archaeological background

1.5 The full historical and archaeological background to the site is covered by an Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton (Leech 2001). The study noted that the site has some potential for archaeological material dating to the prehistoric and Roman periods owing to its topographic position. The site lay within the Forest of Kingswood in the medieval period and there is some evidence that it was enclosed from waste in the 17th century. The first cartographic evidence for the area is a map dating from between 1779 and 1783, which shows the French Prisoner of War Camp (Bristol SMR No. 1546) which was sited to the south west of the development area and the surrounding field system. The French Prison is also shown clearly on the 1839 tithe map, which apportions the land contained within the site to arable use. The prison itself was converted to a Workhouse in 1831, which resulted in the demolition of the outer walls and westernmost of the prison blocks between 1861 and 1865 to make way for the new building. A small rectangular structure is visible on the first edition OS Map of 1885, which predates the Piggery and lies to the east of the Piggery, built in 1897, and which is visible on the second edition OS map of 1916.

1.6 The former Orchard Day Hospital was built in 1898 to designs by H. Crisp and G. H. Oatley. It is a Grade II listed building (ST 6276; 901-1/30/1263) recorded as the former isolation block of the Glenside Hospital. The listing description of 25.04.90 describes the building as:

Pennant rubble with limestone dressings, ridge stacks and Welsh slate roof. Single- depth plan of linked blocks. Single storey; 12 window range. Symmetrical front with rusticated quoin strips, plinth and keyed segmental-arched windows with ovolo mouldings. Central gabled porch and narrow door, with narrow stained-glass lights to either side. Two-bay verandah on cast-iron stanchions with decorated spandrel link to hemi-octagonal bays, with paired sash windows and top-hung casements, and finials on the roofs. The outer three windows are articulated back. Ashlar stacks with wide, coved cornices, to the end gables and ridges. Two rusticated piers at the rear give onto a tiled courtyard with covered walkway like the front verandahs. Interior: remodelled in the 20th Century.

Methodology

1.7 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2003) and followed the criteria for a Level 1 survey as defined by the RCHME (1996). Those parts of the interior and exterior which were accessible at the time of the survey were photographed in colour slide, black and white print and digital formats.

1.8 Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive will be deposited with Bristol City Museum under accession number 2003/38.

2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

2.1 The fieldwork at the former Orchard Day Hospital has demonstrated that the exterior of the building remains largely unaltered and can be clearly related to the Listing Description. The only significant alteration is the insertion of a modern window in the East Wing (Figures 11 and 12). The remaining windows and doors would appear to be original. As the Listing Description records the interior was remodelled in the 20th century. This work included the blocking-up of windows (Figure 10), the provision of modern appliances and the insertion of partitions, although as Figure 15 shows a lot of this work was superficial.

3. CA PROJECT TEAM

3.1 Fieldwork was undertaken by Darren Lankstead and Steven Sheldon. The report was compiled by Richard Young. The illustrations were prepared by Lorna Gray. The archive has been compiled by Darren Lankstead, and prepared for deposition by Teresa Gilmore. The project was managed for CA by Simon Cox.

4. REFERENCES

CA 2003 Land at Blackberry Hill Hospital, Bristol: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching Brief

Leech R.H. 2001 An Archaeological Desk Top Evaluation of the Blackberry Hill Hospital Site Options. Stapleton, Bristol. Cultural Heritage Services: Client Report 2001/2002/147.

RCHME (Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England) 1996 Recording Historic Buildings: A descriptive Specification