Land Adjacent to Coity Bypass Brackla Bridgend

Land adjacent to Coity Bypass Brackla Bridgend

for Lovell Partnerships

CA Project: 4417 CA Report: 16135

March 2016

Land adjacent to Coity Bypass Brackla Bridgend

Archaeological Watching Brief

CA Project: 4417 CA Report: 16135

Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 17.03.2016 Paolo Richard Internal Ian Guarino Young review Barnes

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.

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ...... 3

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...... 4

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 4

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2) ...... 4

8. DISCUSSION ...... 5

9. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 5

10. REFERENCES ...... 5

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ...... 7

APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM...... 8

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 The site, showing location of groundworks (1:1000)

1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Watching Brief

SUMMARY

Project Name: Land adjacent to Coity Bypass Location: Brackla, Bridgend NGR: SS 92255 81252 Type: Watching Brief Date: July 2013 – May 2015 Planning Reference: P/11/355/Ful Location of Archive: To be deposited with National Museum Wales Site Code: LAC13

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between July 2015 and May 2015 during groundworks associated with the development of new houses on land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend.

Two parallel modern ditches were identified. No other features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks, and no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered.

2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Watching Brief

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Between July 2013 and May 2015 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological watching brief for Lovell Partnership on land adjacent to Coity Bypass (centred on NGR: SS 92255 81252; Fig. 1). The watching brief was undertaken to fulfil a condition (Condition 27) attached to a planning consent granted by Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) for the development of 99 new houses and associated ground works (BCBC Planning ref: P/11/355/Ful).

1.2 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with recommendation made by Neil Maylan, Archaeological Planning Manager for Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust; and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2013a) and approved by BCBC acting on the advice of Neil Maylan. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological watching brief (CIfA 2014).

The site

1.3 The site lay between the Coity Bypass to the north and east and Brackla Industrial Estate to the south and west. The site is approximately 2.8ha in size and slopes down from approximately 60m AOD in the south-east to 52m AOD in the north-west.

1.4 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as St Mary's Well Bay Member - Interbedded Limestone and Mudstone of the Jurassic and Triassic periods with no overlying superficial deposits (BGS 2016). The natural substrate encountered during the watching brief comprised limestone bedrock.

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Detailed information on the archaeological background for the site is provided in the WSI that informed the watching brief (CA 2013a). The following paragraph is a summary of the most relevant information.

2.2 An archaeological evaluation (CA 2011) on the site identified one post-medieval field boundary. Another evaluation (CA 2013b) to the south, east and west of the site identified a ditch with a residual flint tool dated to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze

3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Watching Brief

Age. Other archaeological investigations previous the construction of the Coity Bypass recovered two groups of Bronze Age human cremations and it was suggested (CA 2013a) that there was the potential for remains associated with these Bronze Age activities to extend into the current site.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 The objectives of the archaeological works were:

• to monitor groundworks, and to identify, investigate and record all significant buried archaeological deposits revealed on the site during the course of the development groundworks;

• at the conclusion of the project, to produce an integrated archive for the project work and a report setting out the results of the project and the archaeological conclusions that can be drawn from the recorded data.

4. METHODOLOGY

4.1 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2013). An archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks associated with the removal of overburden and the excavation of foundations and service trenches for the new housing units (Fig. 2).

4.2 Written, graphic and photographic records of the trenches were compiled in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual.

4.3 The archive is currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble and it will be deposited with National Museum of Wales. A summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix B, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2)

5.1 Undisturbed natural substrate, comprising limestone bedrock (103/202), was observed across the area of observed groundworks at an average depth of 0.25m

4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Watching Brief

below present ground level (bpgl). It was sealed by subsoil (101/201) and topsoil (100/200). The subsoil was cut by two parallel, ENE/WSW aligned, modern ditches (105 and 107) which match the course of a former field boundary. No other features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks and, despite visual scanning of spoil, no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered. This modern material was not retained.

8. DISCUSSION

8.1 Despite the archaeological potential of the application area (see archaeological background above) the watching brief identified no archaeological remains within the area of observed groundworks other than two modern ditches. The absence of archaeological deposits may indicate that remains associated with the Bronze Age burials either do not extend as far as or were not exposed by the development, or that they may have been removed during previous development or agricultural use of the site. The fact that in situ subsoil was found in the observed areas argues against the latter hypothesis.

9. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Christopher Leonard and Jonathan Orellana. The report was written by Paolo Guarino. The illustrations were prepared by Leo Heatley. The archive has been compiled by Christopher Leonard, and prepared for deposition by Hazel O’Neill. The project was managed for CA by Richard Young.

10. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2016 Geology of Britain Viewer http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html Accessed 9 March 2016

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2011 Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Evaluation CA Report No. 11221

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2013a Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching Brief

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2013b Land at North-East Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Evaluation CA Report No. 13424

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Context Type Fill of Context Description L (m) W Depth Spot- No. interpretation (m) /thick date ness (m) 100 Layer Topsoil Dark grey brown clay silt 0.15 Modern 101 Layer Subsoil Mid orange grey clay silt 0.10 Modern 102 Layer Layer Dark yellow brown post-med 0.10 agricultural soil 103 Layer Natural substrate Limestone bedrock 104 Layer Make-up/subsoil Light brown-orange clay silt 105 Cut Ditch Linear feature Modern 106 Deposit 106 Fill of cut 105 Modern 107 Cut Ditch Linear feature Modern 108 Deposit 107 Fill of 107 Modern 200 Layer Topsoil Dark grey brown clay silt 0.18 Modern 201 Layer Subsoil Mid yellow brown clay silt 0.08 Modern 202 Layer Natural Substrate Limestone in orange-brown clay matrix

APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend Short description An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold

Archaeology between July 2015 and May 2015 during groundworks associated with the development of new houses on land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend. Two parallel modern ditches were identified. No other features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks, and no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered. Project dates July 2013 – May 2015 Project type Watching Brief

Previous work Field Evaluation CA 2011

Future work Unknown PROJECT LOCATION Site Location Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend Study area (M2/ha) 2.8ha Site co-ordinates SS 92255 81252

PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology Project Brief originator GGAT Project Design (WSI) originator Cotswold Archaeology

Project Manager Richard Young Project Supervisor Christopher Leonard and Jonathan Orellana MONUMENT TYPE none SIGNIFICANT FINDS none PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of archive Content

Physical n/a none Paper National Museum of Wales Trench recording forms Digital National Museum of Wales Survey data, digital photos BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2016 Land adjacent to Coity Bypass, Brackla, Bridgend: Archaeological Watching Brief CA typescript report 16135

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SSSS N Andover 01264 347630 Cirencester 01285 771022 MERTHYR BLAENAU TYDFIL Cotswold Exeter 01392 826185 GWENT MONMOUTHSHIRE Archaeology Milton Keynes 01908 564660 TORFAEN w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk PORTNEATH TALBOT CAERPHILL CYNON,RHONDDA, TAFF e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE ANSEA W Y S D N NEWPORT E Land adjacent to Coity Bypass G ID BR CARDIFF Brackla, Bridgend THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN FIGURE TITLE Site location plan 0 1km

FIGURE NO. Reproduced from the 2016 Ordnance Survey Explorer map with DRAWN BY LJH PROJECT NO. 4417 the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller CHECKED BY DJB DATE 17/03/16 of Her Majesty's Stationery Office c Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeology Ltd 100002109 APPROVED BY REY SCALE@A4 1:25,000 1