An Archaeological survey in the Severn Vale, Gloucestershire: A Highlight Report for the National Mapping Programme Stephen Crowther and Amanda Dickson 2016 An Archaeological survey in the Severn Vale, Gloucestershire: A Highlight Report for the National Mapping Programme Historic England; NHPCP project no. 6585 Report Authors: Stephen Crowther and Amanda Dickson 2016 © Historic England and Gloucestershire County Council 2016 Applications for report reproduction should be made to: Historic England Archive Services The Engine House Fire Fly Avenue Swindon SN2 2EH Email: [email protected] Tel: 01793 414600 Fax: 01793 414707 DOCUMENT CONTROL GRID Title: An Archaeological survey in the Severn Vale, Gloucestershire: A Highlight Report for the National Mapping Programme . Project number: NHPCP project 6585 Author(s): Stephen Crowther and Amanda Dickson Archaeology Service Gloucestershire County Council Shire Hall GLOUCESTER GL1 2TH Origination date: January 2016 Version: Final V 3.0 Reviser(s): Stephen Crowther and Amanda Adams (née Dickson) Date of last revision: 22/06/2016 Status: FINAL Summary of changes: Incorporation of HE and Glos CC comments and draft revisions where applicable Circulation: Helen Winton, Historic England Required Action: FOR FINAL REVIEW Approval: Copyright © Historic England and Gloucestershire County Council 2016 CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ......................................................................................................................... ix SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................... 3 ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 4 MAPPING CONVENTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 5 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Aims & Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.3 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 11 1.4 PROJECT AREA .......................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.2 Topography ......................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.3 Geology .............................................................................................................................. 15 1.4.4 Landscape character .......................................................................................................... 21 2. FACTORS AFFECTING THE AERIAL SURVEY ...................................................................................... 24 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 24 2.2 Factors affecting the detail visible on aerial photographs and remote sensing data ............... 25 2.2.1 Vertical sorties .................................................................................................................... 25 2.2.2 Oblique aerial photographs ................................................................................................ 26 2.2.3 Lidar imagery ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.3 Surviving earthworks ................................................................................................................. 27 2.3.1 Regional context for ridge and furrow cultivation ............................................................. 27 2.3.2 Unmasking the ridge and furrow cultivation ...................................................................... 29 3 AERIAL SURVEY RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 31 3.1 Brief highlights of Severn Vale NMP mapping ........................................................................... 31 3.1.1 Neolithic to Bronze Age ...................................................................................................... 31 3.1.2 Iron Age to Roman ............................................................................................................. 33 3.1.3 Medieval to post-medieval ................................................................................................. 36 3.1.4 The 20th century ............................................................................................................... 38 3.2 MEDIEVAL AND POST-MEDIEVAL AGRICULTURE ...................................................................... 42 3.2.1 Lynchets .............................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.2 Ridge and Furrow ............................................................................................................... 46 3.3 THE SECOND WORLD WAR ....................................................................................................... 52 3.3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 52 3.3.2 Air raid shelters .................................................................................................................. 56 3.3.3 Barrage balloons ................................................................................................................. 64 3.3.4 Pillboxes .............................................................................................................................. 67 2.3.5 Military camps and airfields and their impact on modern landscape character .............. 72 2.3.6 Anti-aircraft defences ........................................................................................................ 73 4 AREAS OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE .......................................................... 75 5 REVIEW OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS ............................................................................................ 76 6 REVIEW OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................. 76 6.1 Air raid shelters ......................................................................................................................... 77 6.2 Strip Lynchets and cultivation terraces ..................................................................................... 77 6.3 Pillow mounds ........................................................................................................................... 77 6.4 Symonds’ Hall prehistoric mortuary enclosure and medieval settlement ................................ 79 7 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 81 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 83 APPENDIX 1 Second World War bases, camps and airfields ............................................................... 88 APPENDIX 2 Scheduled Monument assessments................................................................................ 92 Appendix 3 NMP Methodology ......................................................................................................... 104 NMP Archaeological Scope ............................................................................................................ 104 Earthworks, plough-levelled features and buried remains ....................................................... 104 Post-medieval field boundaries ................................................................................................. 104 Military remains ........................................................................................................................ 104 Ridge and furrow ....................................................................................................................... 104 Industrial archaeology ............................................................................................................... 105 Buildings and structures ............................................................................................................ 105 Transport ................................................................................................................................... 105 Parks and gardens ....................................................................................................................