land at 40a cricklade street, cirencester, …
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LAND AT 40A CRICKLADE STREET, CIRENCESTER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF
C.A.T JOB: 0917 C.A.T REPORT: 01062
DATE: JUNE 2001
This report has been researched and compiled with all reasonable skill, care, and attention to detail within the terms of the project as specified by the Client and within the general terms and conditions of Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd. The Trust shall not be liable for any inaccuracy, error or omission in the report or other documents produced as part of the Consultancy and no liability is accepted for any claim, loss or damage howsoever arising from any opinion stated or conclusion or other material contained in this report or other documents supplied as part of the Consultancy. This report is confidential to the Client. Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd accept no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report, or any part of it is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk.
© Cotswold Archaeological Trust
Headquarters Building, Kemble Business Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected]
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................... 2
SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Geology and Topography .............................................................................. 4 1.3 Archaeological Background ......................................................................... 5 1.4 Methodology .................................................................................................. 5
2 WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS ............................................................................ 6
3 ASSESMENT OF RESULTS ................................................................................ 7
4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... 7
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 7
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 1 Location Plan ......................................................................................................... 9 Fig. 2 Study area showing location of observed groundworks ....................................... 10
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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SUMMARY
Cotswold Archaeological Trust (CAT) was commissioned by Abberley Design on
behalf of Mr I. Crouch to undertake an archaeological watching brief during
groundworks on land at 40a Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
The development area lies within an area of known archaeological potential. The site
lies within the north-west quadrant of the Roman town of Corinium, some 200m to
the north-west of the forum. In the vicinity of the site significant archaeological
remains have been found at Nos. 51-53 Cricklade Street.
No archaeological features or deposits were encountered during the course of the
watching brief.
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 This report presents the results of an archaeological watching brief conducted
on the 1st November 1999 and 2nd May 2001 on land at 40a Cricklade Street,
Cirencester, Gloucestershire (Fig 1). The work was commissioned by
Abberley Design on behalf of Mr I Crouch.
1.1.2 The watching brief was undertaken as a condition of planning permission
granted by Cotswold District Council for alterations to an existing shop and
mews access, and for alterations to a covered area and stores to form a new
shop unit (Planning Refs. CT. 1823/K & CT. 0216/N respectively).
1.1.3 The work was carried out in compliance with the Standard and Guidance for
Archaeological Watching Briefs issued by the Institute of Field
Archaeologists (IFA 1994) and the Statement of Standards and Practices
Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire issued by
Gloucestershire County Council Archaeological Section (GCC 1995).
1.2 The study area
1.2.1 The study area is located to the rear of 40 Cricklade Street, and comprises an
area of approximately 20m2 fronting an enclosed courtyard to the north
(centred on NGR SP 0234 0186).
1.2.2 The underlying geology of the study area comprises of post-glacial drift
deposits of calcareous gravels of the River Churn floodplain (Geological
Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 235). These deposits were not
encountered during the watching brief.
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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1.3 Archaeological Background
1.3.1 The proposed development lies within an area of known archaeological
potential. In particular it lies within the north-west quadrant of the Roman
town of Corinium, some 200m to the north-west of the forum. The site also
lies immediately to the south of the projected line of one of the streets that
subdivided the Roman town (Street L in Holbrook and Salvatore 1998; Fig 7).
1.3.2 Significant archaeological remains have previously been identified at Nos.
51-53 Cricklade Street, some 40m to the east of the current site. A trench was
excavated through the Roman street, which was up to 2.80m thick and
comprised of twenty-one successive metallings. Parts of broadly
contemporary stone buildings were identified on either side of the Roman
street, with stylobate footings to the north and a solid wall base to the south
(Barber & Walker 1998, 30-34).
1.3.3 Cricklade Street itself is of medieval origin, with evidence of the regular
tenements plots surviving on nineteenth Ordnance Survey maps.
1.4 Methodology
1.4.1 A project design was prepared by CAT for the watching brief and approved
by Mr Charles Parry, Senior Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County
Council.
1.4.2 The proposed development largely comprised above ground renovation and
changes (ie new partitions and openings etc.) within existing buildings.
Groundworks associated with the redevelopment comprised the excavation of
four inspection pits adjacent to the footings of the existing buildings, the
auguring of 14 piles (each 150mm in diameter) and associated ground
reduction, and the excavation of a new drainage run. All, with the exception
of the piles, were archaeologically monitored.
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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1.4.3 All identified deposits were recorded in accordance with the CAT Technical
Manual 1 Field Recording Manual (1996). A full written drawn and
photographic record of the watching brief was compiled in accordance with
the archaeological project design.
1.4.4 All artefactual material was bagged and numbered with unique numbers
relating to the context record. This was done in accordance with the CAT
Technical Manual 3 Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995).
1.4.5 The completed site archive will be deposited with Corinium Museum.
2 WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS
2.1 The natural substrate was not encountered during the watching brief.
Inspection pits
2.2 The four inspection pits, each measuring 0.60m2, were hand excavated to a
maximum depth of 0.75m below the existing ground level. The earliest
deposit encountered, (203), comprised sub angular limestone fragments
within a dark brown silty clay matrix from which sherds of eighteenth to
nineteenth century pottery and machine made red brick was retrieved. It
measured at least 0.35m in depth, although its full extent lay beyond the limit
of excavation.
2.2 It was overlain by deposit (102), typically 0.45m in depth, comprising mid
brown clay-silt containing limestone fragments, charcoal flecks and red brick
fragments. This layer was cut by modern service trenches and was compacted
at the top in preparation for the overlying concrete yard surface layer (103).
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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Area of ground reduction and drainage
2.3 Ground reduction was undertaken to a maximum depth of 0.35m below the
existing ground surface (see Fig. 2 for extent), with the drainage run
subsequently being excavated to a depth of 0.3m below the newly reduced
level. A stratigraphic sequence analogous to the inspection pits described
above was revealed throughout.
3 ASSESMENT OF RESULTS
3.1 Despite the sites proximity to known archaeological features no deposits or
features predating the eighteenth to nineteenth century were observed during
the monitoring of the groundworks.
4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cotswold Archaeological Trust would like to thank Mr Charles Parry, Senior
Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County Council, Mr Julian Phillips
(Abberley Design) and Mr I.Crouch.
The fieldwork was carried out by Jo Williams who also compiled the report.
The illustrations were prepared by Peter Moore. The project was managed
for CAT by Geoff Potter and Cliff Bateman.
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY
CAT 1999 40a Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, Project Design
for an Archaeological Watching Brief. Cotswold Archaeological Trust.
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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Barber, A. & Walker, G.T., 1998 ‘51-53 Cricklade Street’ in N Holbrook (ed)
Cirencester: the Roman Town Defences, Public Buildings and Shops.
Cirencester Excavations V
Holbrook, N., & Salvatore, J. P., 1998 ‘The Street System’ in N Holbrook (ed)
Cirencester: the Roman Town Defences, Public Buildings and Shops.
Cirencester Excavations V
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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Fig. 1 Location Plan
Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief
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Fig. 2 Study area showing location of observed groundworks
0185
0235
4240b
6
40a
8
65
44
1
67
CRICKLADE STREETClub
ASHCROFT ROAD
N
Area of ground reductionDrain runInspection pit
0 25m
Fig. 2 Study area showing location of obsesrved groundworks