Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey

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1 Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey An Archaeological Evaluation for St James Homes Ltd by Steve Ford Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code CRC06/117 June 2007

2 Summary Site name: Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey Grid reference: TQ Site activity: Evaluation Date and duration of project: 5th 11th June 2007 Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Steve Ford Site code: CRC06/117 Area of site: c. 0.73ha Summary of results: The majority of the trenches dug revealed no finds nor deposits of archaeological interest though no extensive truncation of the archaeologically relevant horizon by the previous development was encountered. Two trenches revealed diffuse charcoal-rich patches with some burnt flint, which are considered likely to be a product of burnt out roots, perhaps a result of scrub clearance of no great age. The site is considered to have very low archaeological potential. Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Staines Museum in due course. 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 Preston i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR Tel. (0118) ; Fax (0118) ; tvas@tvas.co.uk; website :

3 Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey An Archaeological Evaluation Introduction by Steve Ford Report 06/117 This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at a former transport depot on Charlton Road, Charlton, near Shepperton, Surrey (TQ ) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Clive Palmer of St James Homes, St James House, Commercial Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0QZ. Planning permission (App no SP2006/0384) was granted by Spelthorne Borough Council for the redevelopment of this site for housing. This consent was subject to a condition relating to archaeology requiring a programme of archaeological works, beginning with the field evaluation detailed here but possibly requiring further, more extensive works dependent on the results of the evaluation. This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology and Planning (PPG ), and the Borough s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr Gary Jackson of Surrey County Council, archaeological adviser to the Borough. The fieldwork was undertaken by Steve Ford and James Haygreen between 5th and 11th June 2007 and the site code is CRC06/117. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Staines Museum in due course. Location, topography and geology The site comprises an elongated parcel of land located on the west side of Charlton Road just to the north of Charlton village itself. The western side of the site is occupied by the ramparts of Queen Mary reservoir (Fig. 2). The site was still occupied by the depot facilities which comprised a large centrally placed structure surrounded by hard standing. The site lies on virtually level ground at a height of approximately 13m above Ordnance Datum. The underlying geology is shown as gravel on the British Geological Survey map but with brickearth located on the southern boundary (BGS 1981) Brickearth (silty clay) was encountered in all trenches except for the northernmost (Trenches 1 and 2) where silty sand with some stone was revealed. The brickearth was usually orange brown in colour but was grey in places. It is assumed that this grey colour is simply a product of the presence of the overlying made ground.

4 Archaeological background The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted in a desk-based assessment (Gailey 2006). In summary the site lies within an area with a range of sites and find of earlier prehistoric date. A number of ring ditches (levelled round barrows of presumed Bronze Age date) are visible from the air just to the east of the site and a Middle Bronze Age cremation burial is recorded to the north-west (Longley 1976, fig. 5). Further prehistoric finds and sites are recorded within the wider area (Cotton et al. 2004). Charlton village itself has late Saxon origins and is documented in Domesday Book in 1086 (Williams and Martin 2002). 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. The specific aims of the project were to determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on the site, given that parts of it have been previously developed, and to determine if archaeologically relevant levels of any period are present. Eight trenches were to be excavated, each measuring 20m in length and 1.6m in width using a machine fitted with a ditching bucket and under constant archaeological supervision. Spoilheaps were to be searched for finds. A complete list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology is given in Appendix 1. Results Eight trenches were eventually excavated using a JCB-type machine fitted with a ditching bucket. They ranged in length from 17.9m to 21.1m (Fig. 3). The trenches were all 1.6m wide. Trench 1 (Plate 1) This trench was 19.9m long, and 0.65m deep and orientated NW SE. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.1m of Tarmac overlying 0.15m of a gravel make-up layer above 0.3m of disturbed subsoil with bricks, concrete, etc., above grey silty sand with some gravel which was the natural geology. At the southern end of the trench a diffuse area of charcoal (1) was observed and which included some fragments of burnt flint (Figs 4 and 5). The main concentration of charcoal-rich soil was oval 0.5m long and 0.25m wide with a bowl-shaped profile 0.14m deep. However, the sides and base were diffuse and the recorded edges somewhat arbitrary. It is considered that this feature is the product of a burning activity such as scrub clearance.

5 Trench 2 This trench was 18.9m long, and 0.55m deep aligned NE-SW. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.15m of Tarmac overlying 0.15m of a gravel make-up layer above and orange silty sand with some gravel. No archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed. Trench 3 (Plate 2) This trench was 21.1m long and between 0.4m and 0.7m deep orientated east-west. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.1m of disturbed subsoil with brick and concrete fragments above orange silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. The trench was badly disturbed at the western end. At the eastern end of the trench and only partly exposed, a diffuse area of charcoal (2) was observed (Figs 4 and 5). The main concentration of charcoal-rich soil was 0.35m across and 0.25m deep with a flat based profile. However, as with feature 1 above, the sides and base were diffuse and the recorded edges somewhat arbitrary. It is considered that this feature also is the product of a burning activity such as scrub clearance. Trench 4 This trench was 18.1m long, and 0.73m deep orientated north-south. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.5m of rubble made ground above discoloured (grey) silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. No archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed. Trench 5 (Plate 3) This trench was 19.1m long, and 0.7m deep orientated NE SW. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.6m of made ground above orange and grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several modern service trenches were observed but no archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed. Trench 6 This trench was 17.9m long, and 0.7m deep orientated west-east. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.25m of made ground above 0.15m of disturbed natural geology above orange silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several modern service trenches were observed. No archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed.

6 Trench 7 (Plate 4) This trench was 20.5m long, and 0.7m deep orientated NW-SE. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.4m of made ground above orange and grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several modern service trenches were observed. No archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed. Trench 8 This trench was 18.8m long, and 0.74m deep orientated north-south. The stratigraphy encountered consisted of 0.2m of concrete above 0.15m of made ground/disturbed natural geology above orange and grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. No archaeological finds nor deposits were revealed. Finds The only artefacts recovered not of unambiguously modern date were a few fragments (15g) of burnt flint from charcoal patch 1 in Trench 1. These were not retained. Conclusion Despite the presence of the extensive areas of hard standing and some service trenches, the previous development on the site is considered to have resulted in only slight damage or truncation of the archaeologically relevant horizon. This assertion is supported by the discovery of charcoal patches which can have only been present close to the top of a near intact stratigraphic sequence, perhaps only with topsoil missing. Two trenches revealed diffuse charcoal-rich patches with some burnt flint, but these are considered likely to be a product of burnt out roots, perhaps a result of scrub clearance and not necessarily of any great age. The site is therefore considered to have very low archaeological potential. References BGS, 1981, British Geological Survey, 1:50000, Sheet 269, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Cotton, J, Crocker, C and Graham, A (eds), 2004, Aspects of archaeology and history in Surrey, Guildford Gailey, S, 2006, Land at Charlton Village, Spelthorne, Surrey, Archaeological desk-based assessment, CgMs Consulting, London Longley, D, 1976, The archaeological implications of gravel extraction in north-west Surrey, Surrey Archaeol Soc Res Vol 3, 1 35 Guildford PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO Williams, A and Martin, G H, 2002, Domesday Book, a complete translation, London

7 APPENDIX 1: Trench details 0m at south or west end Trench Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment m Tarmac; m gravel; m subsoil/disturbed natural geology; 0.55m+ silty sand with gravel (natural geology). Charcoal patch 1 [Plate 1] m Tarmac; m gravel; 0.30m+silty sand with gravel (natural geology) (E) 0.4 (W) 0-0.2m concrete; m made ground/ disturbed natural geology; 0.3m+ orange silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Modern disturbance at west end. Charcoal patch 2 at east end [Plate 2] m concrete; m rubble made ground; 0.5m+ grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology m concrete; m made ground 0.6m+ orange/grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several service trenches [Plate 3] m concrete; m made ground; m disturbed natural geology; 0.6m+ orange/grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several service trenches m concrete; m rubble made ground; 0.6m+ orange and grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology. Several service trenches [Plate 4] m concrete; m made ground; m disturbed natural geology; 0.65m+ orange/grey silty clay (brickearth) natural geology.

8 APPENDIX 2: Feature details Trench Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence Charcoal patch or root Undated (Burnt flint) Charcoal patch or root Undated -

9 SITE SITE Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey, 2007 An Archaeological Evaluation TQ CRC06/117 Figure 1. Location of site within Charlton and Surrey. Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinders TQ06/16 and 07/17 at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence

10 N SITE TQ Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey, 2007 An Archaeological Evaluation CRC06/117 Figure 2. Detailed location of site on Charlton Road. Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Digital mapping under licence. Scale 1:1250

11 Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey, 2007 N Charlton Road TQ m Figure 3.Location of trenches. CRC06/117

12 Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey, 2007 Trench 1 diffuse 1m 2m N 1 Trench 3 N 2 20m 21m over-machined 0 1m Figure 4. Plans of trenches 1 and 3. CRC06/117

13 Former transport depot, Charlton Road, Charlton, Shepperton, Surrey, 2007 Trench 1 Trench 3 E W 11.71m AOD N ramp S m m Figure 5. Sections of features 1 and 2. CRC06/117

14 Plate 1. Trench 1 charcoal/patch/roothole looking south-west, scales: 0.5m and 0.1m. Plate 2. Trench 3 looking west, scale: 2m. CRC06/117

15 Plate 3. Trench 5 looking north-east, scales: 1m and 2m. Plate 4. Trench 7 looking north-west, scales: 1m and 2m. CRC06/117