LCUK CAULDON WORKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Revised Phase 3 & 4 Proposals Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment Prepared for: Lafarge Cement UK Cauldon Works Yelsway Road Cauldon STOKE-ON-TRENT Staffordshire ST10 3EQ By: Wessex Archaeology Portway House Old Sarum Park SALISBURY Wiltshire SP4 6EB Report reference: 63505.01 September 2009 © Wessex Archaeology Limited 2009, all rights reserved Wessex Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No. 287786 LCUK Cauldon Works Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment LCUK CAULDON WORKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Revised Phase 3 & 4 Proposals Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background....................................................................................1 1.2 Site Location and Topography....................................................................1 1.3 Legislative and Planning Background ........................................................2 2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................5 2.1 Introduction.................................................................................................5 2.2 Staffordshire Historic Environment Record ................................................5 2.3 Aerial Photographs.....................................................................................5 2.4 Cartographic Sources.................................................................................5 2.5 Best Practice Guidance ..............................................................................5 2.6 Assumptions ...............................................................................................6 3 RESULTS ............................................................................................................6 3.1 Presentation of Results ..............................................................................6 3.2 Statutory and Advisory Designations..........................................................6 3.3 Mesolithic (c. 8,500 - 4,000 BC) .................................................................7 3.4 Neolithic (c. 4,000 - 2,400 BC) ...................................................................7 3.5 Bronze Age (c. 2,400 - 700 BC) .................................................................8 3.6 Romano-British (c. AD 43 - 410) ................................................................8 3.7 Early medieval (c. AD 410 - 1066)..............................................................8 3.8 Medieval (c. AD 1066-1499).......................................................................9 3.9 Post-medieval (c. AD 1500 - 1799) ............................................................9 3.10 Modern (c. AD 1800 - present) .................................................................10 3.11 Undated ....................................................................................................11 3.12 Cartographic Evidence.............................................................................11 3.13 Staffordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation ..................................13 3.14 Results of Archaeological Evaluations 2006-2008 ...................................14 3.15 Summary ..................................................................................................14 4 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................15 4.1 Archaeological Potential and Predicted Impacts ......................................15 5 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................17 5.1 Documentary sources...............................................................................17 5.2 Web pages...............................................................................................17 5.3 Cartographic sources...............................................................................17 APPENDICES.............................................................................................................19 Appendix 1: Gazetteer of archaeological and historical sites and findspots......19 i LCUK Cauldon Works Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment FIGURES Figure 1: Site location map showing archaeological sites and findspots Figure 2: Additional land to be quarried under proposed June 2009 working scheme Figure 3: Proposed extension to limestone quarry (Site 2) - 1881 OS Map Figure 4: Proposed extension to shale quarry (Site 1) - 1881 OS Map Figure 5: 1888 OS Map ii LCUK Cauldon Works Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment LCUK CAULDON WORKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Revised Phase 3 & 4 Proposals Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment Summary Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Lafarge Cement UK to undertake a revision of an earlier (2004) archaeological assessment of two areas of land (‘the Sites’) proposed for quarrying at Cauldon, Staffordshire. The assessment is required to inform an Environmental Impact Assessment required in connection with the proposed extension of two sites; a shale quarry (Site 1) and a limestone quarry (Site 2). The proposal area for the shale quarry extension covers c. 25 hectares, whilst that for the new limestone quarry extension covers c. 13 hectares. Both Sites lie beyond the boundary of the Peak District National Park, which extends into the north- eastern part of the Study Area. This archaeological assessment collates the known archaeological and cultural heritage information about the Sites in the context of a wider Study Area centred on NGR 407800 349000, through review of existing data sources and archaeological reports. From documentary evidence and recent field evaluation work, two post- medieval or modern archaeological features are known to exist within each Site: a field barn and drainage system in Site 1 and a quarry and lime kiln in Site 2. However, the archaeological resource base within the overall Study Area includes a number of Bronze Age barrows, two of which are Scheduled Monuments, along with post-medieval and modern industrial sites and transport links. Quarrying has removed the previous locations of other barrows, although antiquarian investigations have provided some information on their contents. The earliest land use within the Study Area, as recorded by the Staffordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation project, comprises settlement with medieval origins adjacent to the north-west end of Cauldon Low Quarry. All other areas have post- medieval land uses. During the post-medieval period industrial activity within the Study Area became more intensive and new transport links were constructed. Settlements were extended and new ones set up in order to provide the labour for these industries. This intensification continued into the Modern era, with the development of the Lafarge cement works. Most of the former transport links are now disused. Although the previous archaeological evaluations have not revealed any archaeological features there remains the potential within each Site for the presence of settlement or other activity of a later Neolithic or Bronze Age date, i.e. contemporary with the barrows. The potential for the presence of significant remains of Iron Age, Roman, medieval and early medieval date is considered to be very low. Although there is much industrial activity of post-medieval and modern date within the Study Area, this is comparatively well-mapped and documented and it is unlikely that as yet unidentified remains of this date survive within the Sites, although the remains of small-scale quarrying efforts are likely to be present. The impact of the proposals on the setting of Scheduled Monuments within the vicinity of the Sites will be negligible. None of the 23 Listed structures within the Study Area would be affected by the proposals. iii LCUK Cauldon Works Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment LCUK CAULDON WORKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Revised Phase 3 & 4 Proposals Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment Acknowledgements This report was commissioned and funded by Lafarge Cement UK. Wessex Archaeology is grateful for the assistance of Chris Down of Lafarge Cement UK, Cauldon. Wessex Archaeology is also grateful to the staff of the Staffordshire County Council Sites and Monuments Record. The project was managed for Wessex Archaeology by Paul White. This report was compiled by Matt Rous and Caroline Russell. The illustrations were prepared by Kenneth Lymer. iv LCUK Cauldon Works Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment LCUK CAULDON WORKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Revised Phase 3 & 4 Proposals Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Background 1.1.1 Wessex Archaeology was commissioned in 2004 by Lafarge Cement UK to undertake an archaeological and cultural heritage assessment of two areas of land proposed for quarry extensions at Cauldon, Staffordshire (Figure 1). Phase 1 and 2 extensions were proposed for a shale quarry (Site 1) and a limestone quarry (Site 2). The planned extension to the shale quarry covered an area of c. 25 hectares, whilst the planned extension to the limestone quarry covered an area of c. 35 hectares. 1.1.2 Subsequent proposed additions to the limestone quarry (Phase 3 & 4), which extended into the Cauldon Dales SSSI were not approved. However, following negotiations a revised boundary of this quarry was proposed