lower brook farm worminghall aylesbury bu brook farm, worminghall, aylesbury, buckinghamshire. ......

LOWER BROOK FARM WORMINGHALL
AYLESBURY BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION
For
SAVILLS LTD
on behalf of
JAMES COX
CA PROJECT: 3163 CA REPORT: 10142
AUGUST 2010

LOWER BROOK FARM WORMINGHALL
AYLESBURY BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION
CA PROJECT: 3163 CA REPORT: 10142
prepared by David Parry, Project Supervisor
date 5 August 2010
checked by Cliff Bateman, Project Manager
date 24 August 2010
approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts
signed
date 26 August 2010
issue 01
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: enquiries@cotswoldarch.org.uk

Cotswold Archaeology Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Bucks.: Archaeological Evaluation
CONTENTS
SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 2
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3
2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) ............................................................................................... 5
3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 6
4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 6
5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 7
APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 8 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS ............................................................................................... 9 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 10
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000)
Fig. 2 Trench location plan, showing archaeological features (1:250)
Fig. 3 Photograph: Trench 1, looking south-east
Fig. 4 Photograph: Trench 1, looking north-west
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SUMMARY
Project Name: Lower Brook Farm Location: Worminghall, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire NGR: SP 6437 0823 Type: Evaluation Date: 3-4 August 2010 Location of Archive: Buckinghamshire County Museum Site Code: LBW 10
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in August 2010 at
Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Two trenches were
excavated.
Two ditches containing finds dating to the post-medieval/modern period were excavated and
recorded during the evaluation. No medieval features or artefacts were exposed.
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 In August 2010 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation
for Savills Ltd on behalf of Mr James Cox at Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall,
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (centred on NGR: SP 6437 0823; Fig. 1). The
evaluation was undertaken at the request of Buckinghamshire County Archaeology
Service (BCAS), archaeological advisor to Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC),
prior to submission of a planning application for the erection of a single dwelling.
1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological
evaluation (BCAS 2010) and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of
Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2010) and approved by Eliza Alqassar (BCAS).
The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field
Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (2008), the Management of
Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research
Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Managers Guide (EH 2006).
It was monitored by Eliza Alqassar, including a site visit on 4 August 2010.
The site
1.3 The site occupies an area of approximately 300m2 and lies towards the eastern
edge of the village of Worminghall (Fig. 2). It is bounded to the west by a road
known as The Avenue, to the north and south by domestic dwellings, and to the east
by Lower Brook Farm. The area is currently grassed and contains a number of trees
planted some 50 years ago (James Cox pers. comm.). The site lies at approximately
60m AOD, the ground sloping down towards the south east.
1.4 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as Limestone Marls in the west
with Kimmeridge Clay to the south-east (BGS 1994), both of which were observed in
the evaluation.
Archaeological background
1.5 Archaeological interest in the site relates to its location within the historic core of
Worminghall, a historic green-edge village. Worminghall was a substantial village at
the time of the Domesday survey and later, in the early 14th century, it held a market
and a fair. The issuing of market grants in 1304, at which time the green might have
been created in a planned extension including a market place, coupled with
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extensive earthworks recorded on the Countys Historic Environment Record
suggests settlement reorganisation or shrinkage (HER number 02041). This points
to the possibility that Worminghall might be seen as an example of a failed attempt
to create a medieval town. By the late 18th century Jeffries county map shows a
nucleated green-based village plan.
1.6 The village has been assessed as potentially of national archaeological importance
by English Heritages Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological evaluations
previously undertaken at The Old Rectory and at No. 18 The Avenue, to the north-
west of the current site identified pits, gullies, ditches and a possible buried soil.
Finds included both medieval pottery and slag (HER numbers 08040 08385).
1.7 The proposed development area is adjacent to No. 55 The Avenue which is a Grade
II listed, late medieval timber-framed house altered in the 17th century, whilst
opposite the development lies No. 38-42 The Avenue, a 17th century Grade II listed
house. It is therefore possible that medieval or post-medieval remains could survive
on site.
Archaeological objectives
1.8 The objectives of the evaluation were to gather sufficient information to generate a
reliable predictive model of the extent, character, date, state of preservation and depth
of burial of important archaeological remains within the area of study. Specifically, to
identify and characterise any evidence for medieval occupation and identify the
potential for deposits to contribute to our understanding of how Worminghall developed
as a village, and the hypothesis that Worminghall represents a failed town.
Methodology
1.9 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of two trenches in the locations shown on
the attached plan (Fig. 2). Trench locations were determined on site due to
restrictions imposed by the dense tree coverage. CA guidance was followed for best
practice with regard to protection of trees, in line with the principles of BS5837:
2005: Trees in Relation to Construction. As far as possible, trenches were
excavated within the footprint of the proposed development. Trench 1 measured
22.4m in length and 1.25m in width. It was initially excavated as two separate
trenches but these were joined together in order to clarify the identified deposits.
Approximately 2m of the total length was not fully excavated due to the presence of
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a large tree root. Trench 2 measured 2.30m in length and 1.25m in width. It was
limited in length by the presence of a sewer pipe running across the site.
1.10 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 CA
Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007).
1.11 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with
CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other
Samples from Archaeological Sites (2003) and no deposits were identified that
required sampling. All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with CA
Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995).
1.12 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their
offices in Kemble. Th

lower brook farm worminghall aylesbury bu brook farm, worminghall, aylesbury, buckinghamshire. ......

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