T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S Land at Manor Farm, West Overton, Wiltshire Desk-based Heritage Assessment by Richard Tabor Site Code MOW13/153 (SU 1287 6797) Land at Manor Farm, West Overton, Wiltshire Desk-based Heritage Assessment for Mr. Ted Cartilage by Richard Tabor Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code MOW13/153 September 2013 Summary Site name: Land at Manor Farm, West Overton, Wiltshire Grid reference: SU 1287 6797 Site activity: Desk-based heritage assessment Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Richard Tabor Site code: MOW 13/153 Area of site: c. 0.9 ha Summary of results: The proposal site lies within 150m of the Avebury World Heritage Site and much of the area elsewhere to its north is of very high archaeological potential., It is also within the hypothetical bounds of a Saxon settlement which has some limited support from geophysical survey and the lack of known deposits close to the site may reflect a lack of investigation rather than a genuine absence of past human settlement. The only known heritage assets on or in the immediate vicinity of the site are the listed Manor Farm house and structures within its curtilage pre-dating 1948. The development is unlikely to affect adversely the settings of several other nearby listed buildings. Given the intensity of prehistoric and Saxon activity in the wider area there is a possibility that archaeological remains of some period might be present which may have survived the construction of the modern farm. It is considered that it may be necessary to provide further information on the archaeological potential of the site by means of field evaluation. It is anticipated that this work could be secured by an appropriately worded planning condition to any consent gained. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp. Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 20.09.13 Steve Preston 11.09.13 i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email: [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk Land at Manor Farm, West Overton, Wiltshire Desk-based Heritage Assessment by Richard Tabor Report 13/153 Introduction This report is an assessment of the archaeological potential of approximately 0.9ha of land located on the north- west side of West Overton, Wiltshire (SU 1287 6797; Fig. 1). The project was commissioned by Ms Claire Welburn of Fowler Architecture and Planning Ltd, 19 High Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire, SN9 5AF, on behalf of Mr. Ted Cartilage, Manor Farm, West Overton, Marlborough SN8 4ER and comprises the first stage of a process to determine the presence/absence, extent, character, quality and date of any archaeological remains which may be affected by redevelopment of the area. Planning consent is to be sought from Wiltshire Council to erect 14 residential units, stabling, garages, storage and office space on the land. This assessment will accompany the application in order to inform the planning process with regard to potential archaeological and heritage implications. This is in accordance with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012) and the Council’s heritage policies. Site description, location and geology The village of West Overton lies south of the A4 road, 7.5km west of Marlborough and c. 3km south-east of Avebury (Fig. 1). The proposal site is within a roughly rhomboidal-shaped plot with maximum dimensions of c. 96m by 96m, giving an area of c. 0.9ha. To the north the site is bounded by Manor Farm house and gardens, and to the east and south by a brick wall, wooden fencing and a hedge following the angled road passing though the north west of the village. On the west side it is separated from fields of pasture by wooden fencing and a hedge. The development area is centred on NGR SU 1287 6797. West Overton lies on Quaternary sand and gravel terrace deposits in the valley bottom on the south side of the River Kennet. The deposits overly undifferentiated Cretaceous Hollywell Nodular and New Pit Formation sedimentary chalk (BGS 2013). The soils are lime-rich loams of moderate fertility (NSRI 2013). From its south entrance the site declines from c. 148m above Ordnance Datum (aOD), falling sharply then levelling at c. 145m aOD, before falling more gradually at the north end to c. 143m aOD. 1 At the time of a site visit on 28th August 2013 the site comprised a mixture of large barns, silos (Pl. 1) and stabling set within concrete and overgrown gravel yards. The approach along the east side, after entering the village from the north, is defined by a brick wall which appears to retain much of its original fabric (Pl.2), giving way to modern wooden fencing as it turns towards the farm's south access, from which Manor Farm house can be glimpsed between and beyond modern stabling and barns (Pls. 3 and 4). An overgrown area of grass south of the sheds shows no sign of having been developed in the past (Pl. 3) but a scrubby gravel surface abutting the south barn appears to have been levelled upwards (Pl.4). The southern aspect of the house is dominated by the northern barn, only partially concealed from it by trees and hedging. In contrast, a brick stable appears to be an element surviving from the original farmyard's east range (Pl. 5). It has been re-roofed and re-pointed but much of the fabric may be original. A small wooden dovecot has been fixed to its south gable. To the south, a length of faced-stone wall may survive from one of the buildings which made up the original south range of the farmyard (Pl. 6). A gate east of the red-brick, hipped slate roof of the house gives access to a Tarmac drive alongside a modern annexe built of re-constituted stone (Pl. 7). It also affords access to the west side of the site which is dominated by a corrugated iron-clad structure built since 1976 (Pl. 8). The interior view of the east boundary wall from further south, from the passage between the barns, is almost entirely obscured by modern stock pens (Pl. 9). The natural slope of the gravel terrace appears to survive in a small plot of rough grass enclosed by a wooden fence (Pl. 10). Planning background and development proposals Planning permission is to be sought from Wiltshire Council for the development of the site to comprise fourteen residential units, stables, a workshop, an office and storage. The Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012) sets out the framework within which local planning authorities should consider the importance of conserving, or enhancing, aspects of the historic environment, within the planning process. It requires an applicant for planning consent to provide, as part of any application, sufficient information to enable the local planning authority to assess the significance of any heritage assets that may be affected by the proposal. The Historic Environment is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) as: 2 ‘All aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time, including all surviving physical remains of past human activity, whether visible, buried or submerged, and landscaped and planted or managed flora.’ Paragraphs 128 and 129 state that ‘128. In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation. ‘129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.’ A ‘heritage asset’ is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) 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 asset’ includes (NPPF 2012, 51) any ‘World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.’ ‘Archaeological interest’ is glossed (NPPF 2012, 50) as follows: ‘There will be archaeological interest in a heritage asset if it holds, or potentially may hold, evidence of past human activity worthy of expert investigation at some point. Heritage assets with archaeological interest are the primary source of evidence about the substance and evolution of places, and of the people and cultures that made them.’ Specific guidance on assessing significance and the impact of the proposal is contained in paragraphs 131 to 135: ‘131.