Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton, Bath and North East Somerset Heritage Assessment for Renaissance Land Regeneration Ltd. CA Project: 5664 CA Report: 15821 January 2016 Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton, Bath and North East Somerset Heritage Assessment CA Project: 5664 CA Report: 15821 prepared by Chris Morley, Senior Heritage Consultant date January 2016 checked by Richard Morton, Principal Heritage Consultant date January 2016 approved by Richard Morton, Principal Heritage Consultant signed date January 2016 issue 01 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. Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Exeter Building 11 41 Burners Lane Stanley House Unit 8 Kemble Enterprise South Walworth Road Basepoint Business Centre Park Kiln Farm Andover Yeoford Way Kemble, Cirencester Milton Keynes Hampshire Marsh Barton Trading Gloucestershire Buckinghamshire SP10 5LH Estates GL7 6BQ MK11 3HA Exeter t.01285 771022 t.01908 564660 t.01264 347 630 EX2 8LB f.01285 771033 t. 01392 826185 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 5 3. PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT .......................................................................... 11 4. HERITAGE ASSETS ........................................................................................... 17 5. SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................................... 35 6. SETTINGS ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 40 7. POTENTIAL EFFECTS ....................................................................................... 50 8. HERITAGE STATUTE, POLICY AND BEST PRACTICE ................................... 53 9. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 60 APPENDIX A: GAZETTEER OF SELECTED HERITAGE ASSETS ............................... 62 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Site location plan Figure 2 Recorded heritage assets within the study area Figure 3 Extract from ‘Map of the Manor of Midsomer Norton’ of 1813 Figure 4 Extract from Midsomer Norton Tithe Map of 1839 Figure 5 Extract from First Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1886 Figure 6 Extract from Ordnance Survey Map of 1931 Figure 7 Plan of surviving part of Welton Old Brewery Figure 8 Midsomer Norton Conservation Area, Character Areas1, 3 and 10 LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photo 1 Surviving brewery building, eastern elevation, looking north Photo 2 Surviving brewery building, eastern elevation, looking south Photo 3 Sub-Building A, eastern elevation, arched, ground-floor openings, with pennant sandstone voussoirs Photo 4 Sub-Building A, eastern elevation, chute to south of arched openings Photo 5 Sub-Building B, eastern elevation, arched ground-floor doorway with stone voussoirs Photo 6 Sub-Building B, eastern elevation, former ground floor doorway Photo 7 Bricked-up hatch at ground level, with another adjacent possible opening to the north Photo 8 Former railway embankment (now a footpath) in north of proposed development site Photo 9 View south along Station Road towards surviving brewery building Photo 10 View south from public footpath across the former railway bridge Photo 11 Example of former factory buildings within proposed development site Photo 12 Example of former factory buildings within proposed development site Photo 13 Example of former factory buildings within proposed development site Photo 14 View of empty factory buildings from north-west of Character Area 1 Photo 15 View of empty factory buildings from non-Listed terrace on Station Road Photo 16 View south-west from the Greenway towards the former modern factory Photo 17 View south-east from the Greenway towards the former modern factory LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 Gazetteer of Selected Heritage Assets 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment 1. INTRODUCTION Outline 1.1 In October 2015 Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned by Renaissance Land Regeneration Ltd. to carry out a heritage assessment of land at the site of the former Welton, Bibby and Baron Factory, Midsomer Norton, Bath and North East Somerset (centred on NGR: 355663 154773; Figure 1). This assessment will accompany a planning application for re-development of the site for mixed residential and commercial purposes. Location and landscape context 1.2 The proposed development site comprises the former Welton, Bibby and Baron site, a self-contained factory and office complex of approximately 4.8ha, to the east of Station Road, in the Welton area of Midsomer Norton. Located within the north of the town, the surrounding area is built up and largely residential. Bath is c.16km to the north, and Frome is c.16km to the south-east. 1.3 The Wellow Brook flows west-east through the proposed development site and on towards Radstock. The settlement at Welton is situated on the side of Welton Hill, which reaches a height in excess of 100 metres above Ordnance Datum (aOD). Average height within the proposed development site itself is c.87m aOD. Scope 1.4 This assessment focussed upon the heritage resource within the proposed development site, although the heritage resource within a minimum 500m ‘study area’, around the proposed development site has also been assessed in detail (Figure 2). 1.5 The key objectives of the assessment were to: identify and gather information on designated and non-designated heritage assets within the proposed development site and surrounding landscape; assess the potential effect of the proposed development on the significance of designated and non-designated heritage assets in the surrounding landscape arising from anticipated changes to their setting; where possible, assess the resultant baseline information, and offer an analysis of the potential for currently unrecorded heritage assets of 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment archaeological interest within the proposed development site, and their significance; and assess, as far as possible, the potential effect of the proposed development on the significance of known and potential buried archaeological remains within the proposed development site. 1.6 Of particular relevance to this assessment was the investigation of the significance of, and potential impact upon, the 19th-century former brewery building within the east of the proposed development site (Welton Old Brewery), as well as the adjacent Midsomer Norton and Welton Conservation Area. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment 2. METHODOLOGY Guidance 2.1 The methodology employed for this assessment is based upon key professional guidance, including the Standard and Guidance for Historic Environment Desk- Based Assessment (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, 2014). Heritage assets 2.2 Heritage assets are defined by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF Annex 2) as ‘A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing)’. Designated heritage assets include: World Heritage Sites; Scheduled Monuments; Listed buildings; Protected Wreck Sites; Registered parks and Gardens; Registered Battlefields; and Conservation Areas. Non-designated heritage assets include sites held on the Historic Environment Record, as well as other elements of the landscape understood to have a degree of heritage value. Scope 2.3 This assessment has considered a minimum 500m study area surrounding the proposed development site (Figure 2). Where informative, evidence derived from the wider historic landscape has also been considered. This study area has ensured that data sources have provided sufficient contextual information about the proposed development site, and its surrounding landscape, from which to assess known and potential impacts on the heritage resource. Data Acquisition 2.4 Historic environment data was requested in October 2015 from the Bath and North East Somerset Historic Environment Record (HER). This data related to all known designated and non-designated heritage assets recorded at the time of enquiry, and included detail on monuments, buildings, find-spots, historic land-use and previous archaeological investigations. 2.5 In addition, data was also derived from the following sources: The National Heritage List for England (Historic England); 5 © Cotswold Archaeology Former Brewery, Midsomer Norton: Heritage Assessment The Historic England Archives, including known archaeological sites, find-spots and previous archaeological works; Walkover survey; Historic Buildings Recording (Level 1); Cartographic and documentary sources from Somerset Records Office; Historic England Archives for aerial photography