WELSFORD STREET LONDON, SE1 5RA ARCHAEOLOGY DESK BASED ASSESSMENT & HERITAGE STATEMENT VOLUME 1: ARCHAEOLOGY Prepared for LB Southwark Mills Whipp Projects Ltd., 40, Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE 020 7415 7044 [email protected] December 2017 Executive Summary The purpose of the desk based assessment of archaeology is to identify the archaeological potential of the development site and summarise the impact of the proposed development on it. It has been prepared by Mills Whipp Projects. The site is centred on National Grid Reference TQ 3411 7858 and is approximately 0.21ha in area. During the preparation of this report the Greater London Historic Environment Record (HER) was consulted for an area of 500m radius centred on TQ 3411 7858 (Historic England report No. 137750) (Fig. 2). The chief cartographic sources have been used and a selection of these is appended as illustrations. This research shows that the subject site does not contain any Scheduled Ancient Monuments and does not lie within a Designated Archaeological Area as defined in Schedule Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The site does not contain any listed buildings but does lie within in the Bermondsey Lake Archaeological Priority Zone (APZ). Under the provision of Saved Policy 3.19 a pre- determination evaluation of the site will be required. There are no known non- designated archaeological remains listed within Historic England’s Historic Environment Record on the site. During the prehistoric/Roman period the site is likely to have lain a few hundred metres north of the Bermondsey Lake. Ancient occupation would probably have focussed on the lake’s shoreline and Neolithic and Bronze Age peats and a platform have been recorded by the Old Kent Road. During the Roman period the site lay in a managed agricultural landscape approximately 300m north of the main Roman road, Watling Street. Landuse in the area of the site remained agricultural until the 18th century when market gardening was also carried out (Figs. 3-6). The area of the site was developed in the late19th century, mainly with residential housing. The site was occupied by a row of houses on its eastern Welsford Street frontage while at their rear the ground remained undeveloped (Figs. 7-12). By the 1970s the site had been cleared and the housed replaced with a row of garages (Figs. 13 -15). A geotechnical survey showed that most of the site has a deposit sequence composed of modern made ground, containing brick and concrete fragments and clinker. This lies on the natural gravel. In the central area of the western car park, however, window sample WS3/3A (Appendix 3) shows there may be some survival of more ancient soil directly over the gravel. The site is considered to have a low potential for significant archaeology. WELSFORD STREET, LONDON, SE1 5RA ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK BASED ASSESSMENT Executive Summary Contents 1. Introduction 2. Report Specification 3. Planning Background 4. Archaeological Background 5. Archaeological Assessment and Impact Assessment 6. Conclusions Appendix 1 Archaeological Gazetteer Appendix 2 Sources Consulted Appendix 3 Borehole Logs Figures Fig.1 Subject Site Fig.2 Archaeological Background Fig.3 Rocque 1746 Fig.4 Horwood 1799 Fig.5 Ordnance Survey 1801 Fig.6 Horwood 1819 Fig.7 Stamford 1862 Fig.8 Ordnance Survey 1871 Fig.9 Ordnance Survey 1894 Fig.10 Ordnance Survey 1914 Fig.11 LCC Bomb Map 1945 Fig.12 Ordnance Survey 1951 Fig.13 Ordnance Survey 1970-78 Fig.14 Ordnance survey 1986 Fig.15 Photograph of current site Fig.16 Proposed site plan Fig.17 Foundation Design Plot 1-6 Fig.18 Foundation Design Plot 7-10 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Mills Whipp Projects Ltd. has been commissioned by LB Southwark to prepare a desk based assessment of archaeology for the proposed development of the Welsford Street site (hereafter ‘the site’) (Fig.1). 1.2 The rectangular shaped site is centred on National Grid Reference TQ 3411 7858 and is approximately 0.21ha in area. It lies about 1.1km south of the River Thames. Thorburn Square lies on its northern side and Lynton Road on its southern (Fig. 1). Its western side is defined by the rear gardens of properties fronting onto Reverdy Road and its eastern side by Welsford Street. 1.3 A site visit was carried out on the 11th December. The ground surface of the western car park is composed of tarmac and concrete in which several service covers are set (Fig. 15). It varies in height from 2.05m OD to 2.13m OD. The garages on its eastern side have floor levels at 2.37m OD to 2.47m OD. Opposite the site Welsford Street lies at 2.28m OD to 2.38m OD. The highest recorded elevation of the Kempton Park Gravel Formation on the site is 1.11m OD (Appendix 3, BH1). 1.4 The subject site does not contain any Scheduled Ancient Monuments nor does it lie within a Designated Archaeological Area as defined in Schedule Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Areas Act 1979. It does, however, lie within the Bermondsey Lake Archaeological Priority Zone (APZ) (previously DLO35764) and close to the Old Kent Road APZ (previously DLO35767). There are no known non-designated archaeological remains or listed buildings on the site as indicated by Historic England’s Historic Environment Record (HER) (report No. 13775). 1.5 It is noted that archaeological HER entries within the 500m radius study area around the site are not evenly distributed but cluster within its southern section just north of the Old Kent Road. This has been taken into consideration when assessing archaeological potential of the site. 1.6 It is proposed to build ten houses (a mix of 2b, 2b WC and 4b) in a traditional format similar to houses along Welsford Street. They will be founded on strip foundations. 1.7 In undertaking this work the following documents have been adhered to: • GLAAS Guidance for archaeological projects in London 2015 • Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists - Code of Conduct • Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists, 1994 Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Desk-based Assessments • English Heritage, 1991 - Management of Archaeological Projects 2. REPORT SPECIFICATION Report status 2.1 The assessment has been prepared to ascertain the archaeological potential of the subject site and is intended to form part of the planning application documentation for the redevelopment of the site. Origin and scope of the report 2.2 Mills Whipp Projects has been commissioned by LB Southwark to prepare the archaeological desk based assessment. The purpose of this report is to identify the archaeological implications for the redevelopment. Aims and Objectives 2.3 A desk based assessment as defined by the Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists (CIfA, 2001) will: “determine, as far as is reasonably possible from existing records, the nature of the archaeological resource within a specified area. It will be undertaken using appropriate methods and practices which will satisfy the stated aims of the project, and which comply with the Code of Conduct, Code of Approved Practice for the Regulation of Contractual Arrangements in Field Archaeology, and other relevant Bylaws of the Institute of Field Archaeologists.” 2.4 A desk based assessment represents: “a programme of assessment within a specified area or site on land, inter-tidal zone or underwater. It consists of a collation of existing written, graphic, photographic and electronic information in order to identify the likely character, extent, quality and worth of the known or potential archaeological resource in a local, national or international context as appropriate.” 2.5 The purpose of desk-based assessment is to: “gain information about the known or potential archaeological resource within a given area or site, (including its presence or absence, character and extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and relative quality of the potential archaeological resource) in order to make an assessment of its merit in context, leading to one or more of the following: • the formulation of a strategy to ensure the recording, preservation or management of the resource • the formulation of a strategy for further investigation, whether or not intrusive, where the character and value of the resource is not sufficiently defined to permit a mitigation strategy or other response to be devised • the formulation of a proposal for further archaeological investigation within a programme of research.” 2.6 The submission of a desk based assessment report to accompany a planning application conforms with the intent of paragraph 7 (under ‘The Role of Public Authorities and Planners’) of the Code of Good Practice established by the Cultural Heritage Committee of the Council of Europe (CHCE 2000), which states that before taking decisions affecting the archaeological heritage, planners should “obtain adequate information and advice, applying non-destructive methods of investigation wherever possible; and also with the intent of paragraph 1 (under ‘The Role of Architects and Developers’) which states that the purpose [of assessment] will be not only to establish if it is necessary to dig but also to build a picture of [the site’s] morphology and its potential.” Methodology 2.7 The assessment has been carried out in accordance with guidance from various bodies including the Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists and the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (see above). In summary the work has involved identifying the client’s objectives, identifying the sources available for consultation, assembling, consulting and examining these sources. 2.8 Survival of archaeological deposits on the subject site depends on previous land-use, so an assessment has been made of the destructive effect of the previous and present activity. 2.9 In order that the appropriate archaeological response can be identified, consideration has been given to the need for either further assessment and/or field evaluation work to identify and locate surviving deposits on the site.