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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Cotswold Archaeology Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Bucks.: Archaeological Evaluation

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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Cotswold Archaeology Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Bucks.: Archaeological Evaluation

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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Cotswold Archaeology Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Bucks.: Archaeological Evaluation

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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Cotswold Archaeology Lower Brook Farm, Worminghall, Bucks.: Archaeological Evaluation

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