s e r v i c e s s o u t h · eyge: english yellow-glazed earthenware, 1785–1835. 1 sherd, 24g....

T H A M E S V A L L E Y

S E R V I C E SS O U T H

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton

An archaeological evaluation

by Sean Wallis

Site Code WDM11

(TQ 2642 6450)

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton

An Archaeological Evaluation

for Merlin Danesmount Ltd

by Sean Wallis

Thames Valley Archaeological Services

Ltd

Site Code WDM 11

December 2011

i

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 77a Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton, BN1 7HB

Tel. (01273) 554198; Fax (01273) 564043; email [email protected]; website : www.tvas.co.uk

Summary

Site name: The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton Grid reference: TQ 2642 6450 Site activity: Field evaluation Date and duration of project: 30th November 2011 Project manager: Sean Wallis Site supervisor: Sean Wallis Site code: WDM 11 Area of site: c. 300 sq m Summary of results: The only features recorded during the evaluation were a pit and well, probably dating from the late 19th century. The lack of any buried soil horizons in the two evaluation trenches suggests that the site had been truncated to some extent before various layers of made ground were imported. The site has no archaeological potential Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with the Museum of London in due course, with accession code WDM 11. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 09.12.11 Steve Preston 07.12.11

1

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton An Archaeological Evaluation

by Sean Wallis

Report 11/92

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at the former Woodman public

house, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton (TQ 2642 6450) (Fig. 1). The work was

commissioned by Mr Martyn Guess, of Merlin Danesmount Ltd, Anyards House, 14a Anyards Road, Cobham,

Surrey, KT11 2JZ.

Planning permission (App no: B2010/63650/FUL) has been gained from the London Borough of Sutton to

demolish the existing extensions and store building, and to construct new extensions to create an enlarged retail

space at ground floor, with a residential flat above. The consent is subject to a condition (6) relating to

archaeology, which requires the implementation of a programme of archaeological work prior to the

commencement of groundworks.

This is in accordance with Planning for the Historic Environment (PPS5 2010), and the Borough Council’s

policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr Mark

Stevenson, Archaeology Advisor with English Heritage, who act as advisers to the Borough on matters relating

to archaeology. The fieldwork was undertaken by Felicity Howell and Sean Wallis on 30th November 2011, and

the site code is WDM 11. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and

will be deposited with the Museum of London in due course, with accession code WDM 11.

Location, topography and geology

The site consists of an irregular parcel of land, located immediately south-east of the junction of Lower Road and

Palmerston Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton (Fig. 2). The site is bounded to the south and east by

residential and commercial properties. Much of the site is occupied by buildings which belonged to the former

Woodman public house, although some of these had been demolished shortly before the evaluation took place.

According to the British Geological Survey the underlying geology lies close to the border of the Woolwich and

Reading Beds and the Thanet Beds (BGS 1981). The geology encountered during the evaluation consisted of

sterile mid brown sandy clay with moderate chalk flecks, which lay above light yellow grey sandy chalk. The

brown sandy clay is believed to be a natural deposit, due to the way that it was seen to fill hollows within the

2

underlying sandy chalk. The site is relatively flat and lies at a height of approximately 46m above Ordnance

Datum, although the paved rear area of the public house was on two levels.

Archaeological background

The archaeological potential of the site stems from its location about 600m north-east of the historic core of

Sutton, which has resulted in it being included within one of the London Borough of Sutton’s Archaeological

Priority Areas. Whilst numerous archaeological deposits and finds have been recorded within the historic core of

the town, little has been found in the close proximity of the site. The Greater London Historic Environment

Record notes that several undated features were found at the southern end of Sutton Grove, to the south-east of

the site, whilst unstratified prehistoric flintwork and medieval pottery were found during recent archaeological

work to the west, at Sutton Grammar School.

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the presence/absence, extent, condition, character, quality and

date of any archaeological deposits within the area of proposed development. The results of this fieldwork would

then provide the detailed necessary to design a scheme to mitigate the effects of development on the

archaeological resource if necessary.

The specific research aims of the projects were:

to determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on this site;

to determine if archaeological deposits of any period are present; and

to provide information in order to draw up an appropriate mitigation strategy if required.

It was proposed to excavate two trenches, each 5m long and 1.6 wide, in those parts of the site which were

to be most affected by the planned development. The trenches were to be dug using a 360°-type mechanical

excavator, fitted with a toothless ditching bucket, under constant archaeological supervision. A contingency for

an additional 5m of trenching was included within the proposal, should this be needed to clarify the initial

findings.

The trenches were to be dug to examine the full depth of deposits above the underlying geology. Tarmac,

concrete and compact made ground could be removed using a toothed bucket, if necessary. Where

archaeological features or deposits are certainly or probably present, the stripped areas were to be cleaned using

3

appropriate hand tools, and sufficient of the deposits excavated or sampled by hand to satisfy the aims of the

project.

Results

Due to site logistics, both trenches were shifted slightly from their original planned positions. Despite this, the

two trenches successfully targeted those parts of the site which will be most affected by the proposed new

structures (Fig. 3). A complete list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and

geology is given in Appendix 1.

Trench 1 (Fig. 4; Pl. 1) Trench 1 was aligned N-S, and was 5.8m long and 1.4m deep. Paving slabs and concrete, up to 0.2m thick, were

removed to reveal two distinct layers of made ground (50 and 55). These deposits were up to 1m deep, and the

remains of a 20th-century garden wall were noted within them along with modern services, which were not

recorded in detail. The lower made ground deposit (55) lay directly above a layer of mid brown sandy clay,

which was initially interpreted as a possible buried soil, but is more likely to represent natural geology. The layer

contained moderate chalk flecks, and was largely removed to reveal the underlying sandy chalk natural. The

edge of a large late 19th-century pit (1) was observed towards the southern end of the trench, measuring at least

1.6m by 1.2m and cutting the mid brown sandy clay (Fig. 5 and Pl. 2). An exploratory section through this

feature revealed that it was at least 0.54m deep, and filled with dark brownish grey sandy silt (51). Small

fragments of glass and clay pipe were recovered from this fill, along with oyster shell and several sherds of 19th-

century pottery. The pit also contained a moderate number of slate and brick fragments; these were not retained.

A small area of modern disturbance was noted at the northern end of the trench.

Trench 2 (Fig. 4; Pl. 3) Due to site logistics, this trench had to be moved from its original planned position, and was aligned

approximately E-W. The trench was 4m long and 0.9m deep. The stratigraphy within this trench was similar to

that noted in Trench 1, although the top of the mid brown sandy clay natural geology was encountered just

0.62m below the present ground surface. The difference in depths was largely due to the fact that the eastern part

of the site, where Trench 1 was located, was stepped up. Apart from some modern services, the only feature

noted was a brick-built well (2) at the eastern end of the trench (53), the internal circumference of which was

approximately 1.4m (Pl. 4). The well was constructed from red bricks, frogged on one side, and 19th-century

pottery was recovered from the backfill of its construction cut (52), and the eventual backfill of the well itself

4

(54). Some pieces of broken glass were also retrieved from deposit 54, although brick fragments from the

backfill were not retained.

Finds

Pottery by Paul Blinkhorn

The pottery assemblage comprised 16 sherds with a total weight of 258g. It was all post-medieval, with most of

the assemblage dating to the 19th or 20th century. It was recorded using the fabric codes of the Museum of

London post-Roman type-series, as follows:

PMR: Post-medieval redware, 1580–1900. 1 sherd, 3g. EYGE: English yellow-glazed earthenware, 1785–1835. 1 sherd, 24g. CHINA: 'Ironstone' china, 1800–1900. 14 sherds, 231g.

The pottery occurrence by number and weight of sherds per context by fabric type is shown in Appendix 3. The

range of fabric types is typical of sites in the region. The sherd of PMR is small and slightly abraded, and

appears likely to be re-deposited, indicating that there was activity in the area of the excavations before the 19th

century.

Glass by Sean Wallis

Four fragments of glass, weighing 125g, were recovered during the evaluation. All are clearly 19th- or 20th-

century in date, and were found in pit 1 (51) and the backfill of well 53 (54).

Clay Pipe by Sean Wallis

One small fragment of clay pipe stem, weighing 3g, was recovered from pit 1 (51), which dated to the 19th or

20th century.

Oyster Shell by Sean Wallis

One oyster shell, weighing 25g, was recovered from the fill of pit 1 (51).

5

Ceramic Building Material by Sean Wallis

Numerous fragments of 19th century and modern brick and tile were observed during the evaluation, within both

the features and made ground deposits. These were not retained.

Conclusion

The evaluation at Lower Road, Sutton successfully investigated those parts of the site which will be most

affected by the proposed re-development. The only features appear to date from the late 19th or early 20th

century. The lack of any buried soil horizons across the site indicates that the area to the rear of the public house

has been truncated in the past, prior to being built up again with imported made ground deposits.

In view of the results of this evaluation, it is unlikely that any earlier archaeological features will be

affected by the proposed groundworks and the site is considered to have no archaeological potential.

References

BGS, 1981, British Geological Survey, 1:50000, Sheet 270, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth MoLAS, 2000, The archaeology of Greater London; an assessment of archaeological evidence for human

presence in the area now covered by Greater London, Museum of London Archaeology Service Monograph, London

MoLAS, 2003, A Research Framework for London’s Archaeology, Museum of London, London PPS5, 2010, Planning for the Historic Environment, Planning Policy Statement 5, The Stationery Office,

Norwich

6

APPENDIX 1: Trench details

Trench Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment 1 5.80 1.60 1.40 0-0.20m paving slabs and concrete; 0.20-0.60m compact made ground (50);

0.60-1.05m loose made ground (55); 1.05-1.40m mid brown sandy clay natural; 1.40m+ light yellow chalk natural geology (OD 44.99m). Pit 1. [Plates 1 and 2].

2 4.00 1.60 0.90 0-0.12m paving slabs and concrete; 0.12-0.62m compact made ground (50); 0.62-0.90m mid brown sandy clay natural geology; 0.90m+ light yellow grey sandy chalk natural (OD 44.90m). Well 53. [Plates 3 and 4].

7

APPENDIX 2: Feature details

Trench Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence 1 1 51 Pit 19th – 20th century Pottery, clay pipe, glass 2 2 52, 53, 54 Well 19th – 20th century Pottery, glass

8

APPENDIX 3: Pottery Catalogue

PMR EYGE CHINA Cut Deposit No Wt (g) No Wt (g) No Wt (g) 1 51 1 3 1 24 6 111 2 52 4 65 2 54 4 55 Total 1 3 1 24 14 231

9

APPENDIX 4: OASiS submission form

OASIS DATA COLLECTION FORM: England

List of Projects | Manage Projects | Search Projects | New project | Change your details | HER coverage |Change country | Log out

Printable version

OASIS ID: thamesva1-115453

Project details

Project name The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton

Short description of theproject

Only 19th-or 20th-century features were revealed. The lack of subsoil on the sitesuggests it had been truncated by previous development.

Project dates Start: 30-11-2011 End: 30-11-2011

Previous/future work No / No

Any associated projectreference codes

WDM11 - Sitecode


WDM11 - Museum accession ID


11/92 - Contracting Unit No.


B2010/63650/FUL - Planning Application No.

Type of project Field evaluation

Site status Local Authority Designated Archaeological Area

Current Land use Industry and Commerce 4 - Storage and warehousing

Monument type NONE None

Significant Finds CERAMICS Post Medieval

Methods & techniques 'Sample Trenches'

Development type Small-scale (e.g. single house, etc.)

Prompt Direction from Local Planning Authority - PPS

Position in the planningprocess

After full determination (eg. As a condition)

Project location

Country England

Site location GREATER LONDON SUTTON SUTTON AND CHEAM The Woodman, 10 LowerRoad

Study area 300.00 Square metres

OASIS FORM - Print view http://oasis.ac.uk/form/print.cfm

1 of 3 12/08/2011 08:51 AM

Site coordinates TQ 2642 6450 51.3649642772 -0.183839806260 51 21 53 N 000 11 01 W Point

Height OD / Depth Min: 44.90m Max: 44.99m

Project creators

Name of Organisation Thames Valley Archaeological Services

Project brief originator English Heritage/Department of Environment

Project design originator Sean Wallis

Project director/manager Sean Wallis

Project supervisor Sean Wallis

Type of sponsor/fundingbody

Developer

Name ofsponsor/funding body

Merlin Danesmount ltd

Project archives

Physical Archiverecipient

Museum of London

Physical Archive ID WDM11

Physical Contents 'Animal Bones','Ceramics','Glass'

Physical Archive notes temporarily with TVAS in Reading pending deposition

Digital Archive recipient Museum of London

Digital Archive ID WDM11

Digital Contents 'other'

Digital Media available 'Images raster / digital photography'

Digital Archive notes temporarily with TVAS in Reading pending deposition

Paper Archive recipient Museum of London

Paper Archive ID WDM11

Paper Contents 'Animal Bones','Ceramics','Glass','Stratigraphic','Survey'

Paper Media available 'Context sheet','Correspondence','Drawing','Microfilm','MiscellaneousMaterial','Photograph','Plan','Report','Section','Survey '

Paper Archive notes temporarily with TVAS in Reading pending deposition

Project bibliography 1

Publication typeGrey literature (unpublished document/manuscript)

Title The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton; anarchaeological evaluation

Author(s)/Editor(s) Wallis, S

Other bibliographicdetails

11/92

Date 2011

Issuer or publisher Thames Valley Archaeological Services


2 of 3 12/08/2011 08:51 AM

OASIS:

Please e-mail English Heritage for OASIS help and advice© ADS 1996-2006 Created by Jo Gilham and Jen Mitcham, email Last modified Friday 3 February 2006Cite only: /d1/export/home/web/oasis/form/print.cfm for this page

Place of issue orpublication

Reading

Description A4 comb-bound client report

URL http://www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp

Entered by Steve Preston ([email protected])

Entered on 8 December 2011


3 of 3 12/08/2011 08:51 AM

64000

65000

66000

TQ26000 27000

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Boroughof Sutton, 2011

Archaeological evaluationFigure 1. Location of site within Sutton and London.

WDM 11

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Explorer 161 at 1:12500Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880

SITE

SITE

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton, 2011

Archaeological evaluationFigure 2. Detailed location of site.

WDM 11

Site

TQ26400 26500

64600

64500

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital mapping under licence.Crown copyright reserved. Scale 1:1250

64400

WDM 11

Figure 3. Location of trenches

The Woodman, 10 Lower Road, Sutton,London Borough of Sutton, 2011

Archaeological evaluation

SITE Lower Road

Palmerstone Road

2

1

2

1

TQ26400 26450

64500

64550

0 25m

N

N

WDM 11

Figure 4. Plan of trenches

The Woodman, 10 Lower Street, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton, 2011

Archaeological Evaluation

0 1m

Trench 2

Trench 1

2m 3m1m 4m 5m0m

1

N

N

2m 3m1m 4m0m

252 53

54

WDM 11

Figure 5. Sections

The Woodman, 10 Lower Street, Sutton, London Borough of Sutton, 2011


Trench 1

46.22m AOD

NNESSW

Concrete

Mid brown sandy clay natural

Light yellow grey sandy chalk natural

50

55

51

1

N

0 1m

Plate 1. Trench 1, looking south. Horizontal scales 1m, 2m, vertical 0.5m

Plate 2. Pit 1, and trench section, looking west, scale 0.5m

Plates 1 and 2.

The Woodsman’s Public House, Lower Road, Sutton,London Borough of Sutton, 2011


WDM 11

Plate 3. Trench 2, looking east. Horizontal scales 1m, 2m, vertical 0.5m

Plate 4. Well 2, looking south-west, scales 1m, 0.5m

Plates 3 and 4.

The Woodsman’s Public House, Lower Road, Sutton,London Borough of Sutton, 2011


WDM 11

TIME CHART

Calendar Years

Modern AD 1901

Victorian AD 1837

Post Medieval AD 1500

Medieval AD 1066

Saxon AD 410

Roman AD 43BC/AD

Iron Age 750 BC

Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC

Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC

Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC

Neolithic: Late 3300 BC

Neolithic: Early 4300 BC

Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC

Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC

Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC

Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC

Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC

s e r v i c e s s o u t h · eyge: english yellow-glazed earthenware, 1785–1835. 1 sherd, 24g....

Documents