HALFWAY GARAGE PADWORTH WEST BERKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION CA PROJECT: 1763 CA REPORT: 04091 Author: Mark Brett Approved: Cliff Bateman Signed: ……………………………………………………………. Issue: 01 Date: May 2004 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. © Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected] Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 The site .............................................................................................................. 3 Archaeological background ................................................................................ 4 Archaeological objectives ................................................................................... 4 Methodology....................................................................................................... 4 2. RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 5 Trench 1 ............................................................................................................. 5 Trench 2 ............................................................................................................. 5 3. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 6 4. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 7 5. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 7 APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 8 APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES ...................... 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25 000) Fig. 2 Location of trenches (1: 1000) Fig. 3 Trench 1; plan and sections 1 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Halfway Garage Location: Padworth, West Berkshire NGR: SU 6067 6780 Type: Evaluation Date: 13 May 2004 Location of Archive: West Berkshire Heritage Service, Newbury Museum Site Code: HGP 04 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in May 2004 at the request of George Wimpey South West Ltd on land at Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire. In compliance with an approved WSI (CA 2004), two trenches were excavated within the proposed development area. The evaluation identified a pit and a posthole, both of which remained undated, but may represent activity associated with a number of archaeological sites within close proximity to the proposed development area, which range from Neolithic to Roman in date. 2 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In May 2004 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for George Wimpey South West Ltd on land at Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire (centred on NGR: SU 6067 6780; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany an application for planning permission for residential development of the site. An archaeological desk-based assessment, which will also accompany the application, has previously been undertaken for the site and its immediate hinterland (CA 2004a). 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed written scheme of investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2004b). The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999), and the Management of Archaeological Projects II (EH 1991). It was monitored by Duncan Coe, Archaeological Officer for West Berkshire Council, including a site visit on 17 May 2004. The site 1.3 The proposed development area lies within Lower Padworth, a linear settlement stretching along the southern side of the A4 London to Bath road. The site currently comprises the buildings and forecourt of a petrol station, the buildings of a disused garage and two derelict houses and their gardens, and is approximately 0.7ha. It is bounded to the south-west by a hotel, to the south-east by a railway line, to the north-east by a residential property, and to the north-west by the A4. The site is relatively flat and lies at approximately 53m AOD. 1.4 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Sand and Clay of the Palaeocene Lambeth Group, overlain by drift deposits of Beenham Grange Gravel associated with the River Kennet (BGS 2000). 3 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology Archaeological background 1.5 The archaeological and historical background of the proposed development area has been subject to an archaeological desk-based assessment undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (2004a). It is not intended to repeat the findings of that assessment in full here, rather this report should be read in conjunction with it. In summary, the assessment identified a number of sites and findspots dating from Neolithic to post-medieval in date within the immediate vicinity of the proposed development area. These include a Neolithic ring-ditch, a Bronze Age settlement, Iron Age occupation deposits and a Roman bath-house. Archaeological objectives 1.6 The objectives of the evaluation were to provide data on the date, character, quality, survival and extent of the archaeological deposits within the application area in order that an informed decision on their importance in a local, regional or national context can be made. This information will clarify whether any remains are of sufficient importance to warrant consideration for preservation in situ, or alternatively form the basis of mitigation measures that may seek to limit damage to significant remains. Methodology 1.7 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of two 10m-long trenches (Trenches 1 and 2; see Fig. 2), each 1.5m wide. The presence of live underground services necessitated the rearrangement of the location of both trenches, however the basic layout of the trenching remained within the spirit of the original WSI. The modified trench positions were located according to the plan shown as Fig. 2. 1.8 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996). 4 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 1.9 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive will be deposited with Newbury Museum. 2. RESULTS 2.1 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts are to be found in Appendix 1. Details of the relative heights of the principal deposits and features expressed as metres Above Ordnance Datum (m AOD) appear in Appendix 2. Trench 1 2.2 Natural gravel substrate 103 was encountered at a depth of 0.35m below present ground level. It was cut by circular posthole 104 from which no artefactual material was retrieved. To the north-west, pit 106 was partially revealed cutting the natural gravel. It was rounded, with a generally concave profile, and a step along its south- eastern side. It was 1m wide and contained single fill 107 which was also devoid of any dating evidence. 2.3 Posthole 104 was sealed by subsoil 102 which was present only in the south- easternmost 4m of the trench; throughout the remainder of the trench the subsoil had been truncated resulting in the l gravel substrate being directly overlain by topsoil 101. Trench 2 2.4 Natural gravel substrate 103 was encountered at a depth of 0.35m below present ground level. It was overlain throughout by subsoil 202, similar to that in Trench 1, which was in turn sealed by modern garden soil 201. No archaeological features were revealed in Trench 2 5 Halfway Garage, Padworth, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology The Finds 2.5 No artefactual evidence was recovered during this evaluation. The Biological Evidence 2.6 Although assessed for their palaeoarchaeological potential, no deposits were sampled during the course of this evaluation. 3. DISCUSSION 3.1 The evaluation trenching has confirmed the presence of undated archaeological deposits surviving within the proposed development area. However these deposits appear to be of a limited nature and, in the absence of dating evidence, interpretation can only be made at a basic level. 3.2 The presence of a posthole is perhaps indicative of structural