T H A M E S
V A L L E Y
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
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Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire
Archaeological Evaluation
by Andy Taylor
Site Code: MSB11/133
(SU 7855 4371)
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire
An Archaeological Evaluation
for Drew Smith Group
by Andy Taylor
Thames Valley Archaeological Services
Ltd
Site Code MSB 11/133
December 2011
Summary
Site name: Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road, Bentley, Hampshire
Grid reference: SU 7855 4371
Site activity: Evaluation
Date and duration of project: 19th and 22nd December 2011
Project manager: Steve Ford
Site supervisor: Andy Taylor
Site code: MSB 11/133
Area of site: c.0.36 hectares
Summary of results: Two undated gullies and an undated ditch were recorded along with a
ditch or large pit tentatively dated to the medieval period.
Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley
Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Hampshire Museum Service in
due course.
This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the
copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website:
www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp.
Report edited/checked by:
Steve Ford9 23.12.11
Steve Preston9 23.12.11
i
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road, Bentley, Hampshire
An Archaeological Evaluation
by Andy Taylor
Report 11/133
Introduction
This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out on land to the south of
Meadow House, Station Road, Bentley, Hampshire (SU 7855 4371) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by
Mr Adrian Cator of the Drew Smith Group, Drew Smith House, Mill Court, The Sawmills, Durley,
Southampton, SO32 2EJ.
A planning consent has been gained from East Hampshire District Council for the construction of nine
dwellings and associated access on a parcel of land accessed off Station Road. The consent contains a condition
(14) relating to archaeology requiring a programme of work to mitigate the development’s archaeological
impact. In the first instance, a field evaluation was to provide information on the archaeological potential of the
site so as to allow a mitigation strategy to be designed as appropriate.
This is in accordance with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Planning Policy
Statement, Planning for the Historic Environment (PPS5 2010), and the District Council’s policies on
archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr David Hopkins, County
Archaeologist with Hampshire County Council, advisers to the District on matters relating to archaeology. The
fieldwork was undertaken by Andy Taylor and Dan Bray on 19th and 22nd December 2011 and the site code is
MSB11/133. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be
deposited with Hampshire Museum Service in due course.
Location, topography and geology
The site is located on the southern margins of Bentley and immediately to the south of Meadow House and a
telephone exchange with the A31 to the south of the site. Station Road lies to the west with residential dwellings
to the east (Fig. 2). The site is a relatively flat parcel of open grassland lying at c.90.50m above Ordnance
Datum. The geological map shows the site as lying on Loam and Low Level Terrace Deposits (Valley Gravels)
(BGS 1981), although those observed consisted of gravelly clays varying in a browny grey to yellowy brown in
colour.
1
Archaeological background
The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted by correspondence with Dr Hannah Fluck, Senior
Archaeologist with Hampshire County Council. The site of the proposed development lies to the west of South
Green Farm where evidence of Bronze Age occupation and Roman activity was recorded. At Bentley Green
Farm, c.250m to the south-west, a small Saxon farmstead comprising three post built structures along with
Middle Bronze Age occupation has been excavated (Ford 1997).
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 development.
Specific aims of the project were:
to determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on the site;
to determine if archaeological deposits of any period are present;
to determine of archaeological deposits of prehistoric date are present on the site which relate to
the other evidence of occupation nearby; and
to determine if archaeological deposits or finds representing Saxon occupation are present on the
site and relate to the buildings found nearby.
Five trenches were to be dug using a JCB type machine fitted with a toothless ditching bucket. These were dug
under constant archaeological supervision and all spoilheaps were monitored for finds. Where archaeological
features were present, the stripped areas were cleaned using appropriate hand tools and sufficient of the
archaeological features and deposits exposed were excavated or sampled by hand to satisfy the aims of the
project without compromising the integrity of any features that better be investigated under the conditions
pertaining to full excavation.
Results
Five trenches were dug all 1.60m wide and between 21.0m and 21.8m in length (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 (Figs 4 and 6; Pls 1 and 3)
This trench measured 21.1m in length and 0.43m deep. It consisted of topsoil directly overlying a yellowey
brown gravelly clay natural geology. A ditch (2) was located at the western end of the trench. A slot was dug
2
across it measuring 0.84m in length, 0.86m wide and 0.25m deep. Its light grey silty clay fill (53) did not contain
any dating evidence. It seems likely that this feature is the same as that in trench 2.
Trench 2 (Figs 4 and 6)
This trench measured 21.7m in length and 0.43m deep. It consisted of topsoil directly overlying a yellowey
brown silty clay natural geology. A ditch (1) was located at 12.50m from the western end. A slot was dug across
it measuring 0.99m wide and 0.18m deep. A 20L soil sample was also taken and sieved but no finds nor charred
plant remains were recovered. It seems likely that this feature is the same as that in trench 2.
Trench 3 (Figs 5 and 6; Pls 2 and 4)
This trench measured 21.8m in length and 0.50m deep. It consisted of topsoil directly overlying a yellowey
brown gravelly clay natural geology. Three linear features were identified in this trench. Gully 3 was 0.50m wide
and 0.09m deep. It did not contain any dating evidence. Gully 4 was 0.59m wide and 0.20m deep. Again it did
not contain any dating evidence. Feature 5 was located at the western end of the trench. Only one edge was
visible and as such may be a single large feature such as a ditch or a series of intercutting features. A slot was
dug into it measuring 0.84m wide and 0.20m deep. It contained two fills (56 and 57) with a single rim sherd of
medieval pottery recovered from layer 56.
Trench 4
This trench measured 21.0m in length and 0.39m deep. It consisted of topsoil directly overlying a yellowey
brown silty clay with gravelly patches natural geology. No archaeological deposits were observed.
Trench 5
This trench measured 21.0m in length and 0.42m deep. It consisted of topsoil directly overlying a yellowey
brown silty clay natural geology. No archaeological deposits were observed.
Finds
Pottery by Andy Taylor
A single rim sherd of medieval pottery was recovered from the secondary fill (56) of feature 5 in trench 3. This
had a dark grey black exterior surface and with a mid brown interior colour surface with frequent small (less than
3
1mm across) and occasional larger (greater than 1mm) quartz inclusions with frequent flecks of mica visible on
the surface and it weighed 9g.
Conclusion
The evaluation identified a small number of archaeological deposits. A ditch aligned approximately north-south
appears to have been identified in both trenches 1 and 2 , however no dating evidence was recovered from either
of the slots dug nor a sieved soil sample. A further three linear features were identified in trench 3 with only
feature 5 containing a small sherd of medieval pottery. It may be that these linear features represents former field
boundaries but further work would be required in order to ascertain the extent and date of these identified
features and to determine if any other features are present.
References
BGS, 1981, British Geological Survey, 1:50000, Sheet 284, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth
Ford, S, 1997, ‘The excavation of Saxon structures and Bronze Age features at Bentley Green Farm, Bentley,
Hampshire, 1994’, Proc Hampshire Fld Club Archaeol Soc 52, 59–75
PPS5, 2010, Planning for the Historic Environment, The Stationery Office, Norwich
4
APPENDIX 1: Trench details
0m at S or W end
Trench
1
Length (m)
21.10
Breadth (m)
1.60
Depth (m)
0.43
2
21.70
1.60
0.43
3
21.80
1.60
0.50
4
21.00
1.60
0.39
5
21.00
1.60
0.42
Comment
0.00m-0.38m topsoil; 0.38m+ yellowey brown gravelly clay natural geology.
Ditch 2. [Pls 1, 3]
0.00m-0.37m topsoil; 0.37m+ yellowey brown silty clay natural geology. Ditch
1.
0.00m-0.42m topsoil; 0.0.42m+ yellowey brown silty clay natural geology.
Feature 5; Gullies 3 and 4. [Pls 2, 4]
0.00m-0.31m topsoil; 0.31m+ yellowey brown silty clay with gravel patches
natural geology.
0.00m-0.35m topsoil; 0.35m+ yellowey brown silty clay natural geology.
5
APPENDIX 2: Feature details
Trench
1
2
3
3
3
Cut
2
1
3
4
5
Fill (s)
53
52
54
55
56, 57
Type
Ditch
Ditch
Gully
Gully
Feature or Ditch
Date
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Medieval?
6
Dating evidence
None
None
None
None
Pottery
Basingstoke
45000
Farnborough
Andover
Alton
Winchester
SITE
SOUTHAMPTON
Ringwood
New Forest
Gosport
PORTSMOUTH
44000
SITE
43000
SU78000
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 1. Location of site within Bentley and Hampshire.
Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Explorer 144 at 1:12500
Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880
79000
MSB 11/133
43800
SITE
43700
SU78500
78600
MSB 11/133
N
Land to south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 2. Detailed location of site off Station Road.
Reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital mapping under licence.
Crown copyright reserved. Scale: 1:1250
43800
Telephone Exchange
Meadow House
1
Footprints of
proposed buildings
servic
2
es
4
43700
3
5 4
3
1
2
ua
A 31 ( D
5
)
geway
l Carria
SU85000
86000
MSB 11/133
N
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 3 Location of trenches.
0
50m
Trench 1
N
3m
5m
2
Trench 2
N
1
11m
13m
MSB 11/133
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 4. Detail of trenches.
0
1m
Trench 3
5
6m
N
Trench 3 Continued
4
7m
3
8m
17m
18m
MSB 11/133
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 5. Detail of trenches.
0
1m
SW
NE
SW
NE
90.43maOD
90.31m
52
53
1
SW
SW
2
90.37m
SW
SW
90.41m
SW
SW
90.42m
54
55
56
57
3
4
5
MSB 11/133
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Figure 6. Sections.
0
1m
Plate 1. Trench 1, looking west south west. Scales: 2m, 1m and 0.5m.
Plate 2. Trench 3, looking west, Scales: 2m, 1m and 0.5m.
MSB 11/133
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Plates 1 and 2.
Plate 3. Trench 1,ditch slot 2, looking north north west. Scales: horizontal 1m, vertical 0.1m
Plate 4. Trench 3, ditch slot 5, looking north west, Scales: horizontal 1m, vertical 0.1m.
MSB 11/133
Land to the south of Meadow House, Station Road,
Bentley, Hampshire, 2011
Archaeological Evaluation
Plates 3 and 4.
TIME CHART
Calendar Years
Modern
AD 1901
Victorian
AD 1837
Post Medieval
AD 1500
Medieval
AD 1066
Saxon
AD 410
Roman
Iron Age
AD 43
BC/AD
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
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd,
47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading,
Berkshire, RG1 5NR
Tel: 0118 9260552
Fax: 0118 9260553
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.tvas.co.uk