Archaeological Desk Based Assessment |
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Archaeological Desk Based Assessment __________ 185 Tower Bridge Road, London Borough of Southwark SE1 2UF February 2020 | Project Ref AC01282A Archaeological Desk Based Assessment | Author with date Reviewer code, with date AJ, 18.02.2020 RD-0021, 18.02.2020 Project Number: 01282A File Origin: M:\Archaeology Collective\Projects\Projects 1001-1500\Projects 1201- 1300\01282 - 185 Tower Bridge Rd\01282A\Reports\1282-185 Tower Bridge Road DBA v.2.docx 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 2 Contents Non-Technical Summary 1. Introduction ........................................................................................ 6 2. Methodology ...................................................................................... 11 3. Relevant Policy Framework ............................................................... 16 4. Archaeological Background ............................................................... 23 5. Proposed Development and Potential Effects..................................... 38 6. Conclusions ....................................................................................... 42 Sources consulted……………………………………………………………………..43 Figures Proposed Development 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 3 Non-Technical Summary This archaeological desk-based assessment has been prepared by Archaeology Collective, on behalf of Nanda Construction Limited to inform proposals to redevelop a vacant plot of land situated on the west side of Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey, in the London Borough of Southwark. The Site lies immediately adjacent to (north of) a standing building, a bespoke bank building constructed in c.1900, which is a grade II listed building. The proposed development involves the comprehensive refurbishment and extension of the existing building and the construction of a new building (with basement) on the adjacent vacant plot. This report focuses on the archaeological potential of this plot. This report has confirmed that the Site does not contain any designated archaeological assets such as world heritage sites, scheduled monuments, protected wrecks, registered battlefields or registered parks & gardens where there would be a presumption in favour of their physical preservation in situ and against development. The Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER) does not record any non-designated archaeological assets within the Site. The Site lies within a Tier 1 London Borough of Southwark Archaeological Priority Area (APA) within which there is potential for the preservation of complex multi-phase deeply stratified archaeology. Based on the information within the GLHER, supplemented by historic mapping from the mid- late 16th century onwards together with documentary research, the Site has been shown to have a medium potential for encountering deeply buried archaeological remains of prehistoric date, sealed by later phases of flood deposits. The potential for encountering the foundations of the post-medieval terraced houses and public house which formerly occupied the land is considered to be high, although any such remains are likely to have low local significance. The potential for encountering archaeological remains of Roman, early medieval or medieval date are considered to be low. The construction of a basement within the new building will remove sub-surface deposits. If archaeological remains are present, then they may be impacted. The conclusions of this assessment are in accordance with both national and local planning policy. 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 4 1.0 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 5 1. Introduction Background 1.1 This archaeological desk-based assessment has been prepared by Archaeology Collective on behalf of Nanda Construction Limited. Documentary and cartographic research was carried out by Dr. Anne Johnson BA (Hons) PhD FSA MCIfA. 1.2 The subject of this assessment, 185 Tower Bridge Road, comprises an open plot of land (hereafter known as the Site), situated c.200m south of Tower Bridge. The Site occupies the northeastern end of a triangular block of land, bounded by Tower Bridge Road to the east, Tooley Street to the south and Queen Elizabeth Street to the north, centred at NGR 533529,179952, within the London Borough of Southwark. A narrow lane running along the western boundary separates the Site from the neighbouring restaurant premises, ‘Restaurant Story’. The location is shown on Figures 1 & 2. The Site occupies an area of c.166 m2. 1.3 The adjacent four-storey purpose-built bank building (with basement) is a listed grade II building.1 1.4 The proposed development involves the comprehensive refurbishment and extension of the existing building and the construction of a new building (with basement) on the adjacent vacant plot. 1.5 The purpose of this assessment is to determine and assess the archaeological potential of the Site and to assess the significance of any relevant heritage assets identified. The report is informed by site inspection, historical information, and by data relating to archaeological assets. It seeks to provide sufficient information to allow an informed understanding of the potential impact of the proposed development on the significance of those assets, and to consider the need for solutions (design, engineering etc.) where necessary. This assessment will not address designated or non-designated built heritage assets such as listed buildings, locally listed buildings or conservation areas, which have been addressed in a separate heritage assessment. 1.6 The report considers heritage assets of archaeological interest, including finds/findspots of artefactual and ecofactual material (e.g. stone tools, bone), and locations, features or objects referenced from historic documents. Where appropriate, it refers to archaeological and palaeo-environmental deposits, including sub-surface archaeological remains of features, buildings and structures. 1 Historic England List Entry No. 1385972 (Former London & County Bank). 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 6 1.7 This assessment has been prepared in accordance with Standards and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk-Based Assessment2 published by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). It takes into account the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other local planning policy and guidance where relevant. 1.8 This desk-based assessment comprises an examination of digital data held by the Historic England Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER) together with documentary research. It incorporates a map regression indicating the impact of change over time. 1.9 This data has been collected for an area comprising a 250m radius of the Site boundary, which is referred to as the ‘study area’. This radius has been selected on the basis of professional judgment as being sufficient to determine the archaeological potential of the Site, taking into account its location, topography, and character. Geology 1.10 The British Geological Survey identifies the underlying solid geology across the Site as London Clay Formation (clay & silt). Situated c.200m south of the present river bank of the River Thames, the Site stands upon a small ’island’ of superficial sand and gravel deposits of the Kempton Park Gravel Member (Figure 3).3 This part of the Thames floodplain was characterised in the past by low sand and gravel islands (eyots) raised slightly above the Thames floodplain separated by braided watercourses, marshes and tidal mudflats, which were favoured for settlement and agriculture from prehistoric times (see 4.34 below). 1.11 The soils are recorded as loamy and clayey soils of coastal flats with naturally high groundwater.4 1.12 There is no site-specific geotechnical information currently available. However, archaeological monitoring in 2012 on the adjacent land to the west, on the site of the current restaurant, recorded an intact stratigraphic sequence at a single location along the north side which had not been truncated by a basement.5 The ground surface was recorded at 4.58m AOD. The sequence comprised a 1.5m thick deposit of made ground to 3.08m AOD overlying a 0.8m thick soil layer to a depth of 2.28m AOD above two naturally deposited silt and sand layers, each up to 0.5m in thickness: the upper a friable mid yellowish-brown silty sand to 1.78m AOD and the lower a friable layer of mid orange-yellow silty sand to the top of the natural gravels, which were recorded at 1.28m AOD. 2 CIfA. Standard and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk-based Assessment 2017 3 British Geological Society online viewer: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/geologyOfBritain/viewer.html 4 http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/ 5 Barrowman 2012. 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 7 1.13 The depositional sequence on this land indicated a generally dry environment on the higher ground in the centre of the gravel island, which had been subject to (undated) flooding episodes and the subsequent deposition of alluvial silts. There was no evidence for local peat formation, which would be anticipated on the lower fringes of the island. Topography 1.14 The Site stands upon level ground on the top of the ridge of the Horselydown Eyot, at c.5m AOD. Site Photographs Plate 1. Looking north towards Tower Bridge, showing the bank building on the left. 185 Tower Bridge Road: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment | 8 Plate 2. Looking south, showing the vacant