Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire

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1 Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire An Archaeological Evaluation: Phase 2 for Mott McDonald Ltd by Sarah Coles and Sian Anthony Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code RPR 02/62 October 2002

2 Summary Site name: Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire Grid reference: Site centre: SU ; Phase 2 evaluation centre SU Site activity: Archaeological evaluation Phase 2 Date and duration of project: 23rd 25th October 2002 Project manager: Erlend Hindmarch Site supervisor: Sarah Coles Site code: RPR 02/62 Area of site: 250 ha Summary of results: No archaeology was observed. Monuments identified: None Location and reference of archive: The archive is currently held by Thames Valley archaeological Services, De Beauvoir Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5NR and will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Services 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 Ford Steve Preston i

3 Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham An Archaeological Evaluation: Phase 2 Introduction by Sarah Coles and Sian Anthony Report RPR 02/62c This report documents the results of a second phase of archaeological field evaluation carried out at Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire (SU ) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Paul Browne of Mott McDonald Ltd, Demeter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2RS. Planning permission has been granted by South Oxfordshire District Council to develop a new rowing course and rowing centre, with associated parking, drainage, access and landscaping; the relocation, submission and enlargement of the existing marina; the creation of a nature reserve and construction of a boatyard service building. The areas to be affected by the proposed development can be seen in Figure 2. Part of the proposal area was inaccessible at the time of the first phase of evaluation (Coles 2002), which necessitated this second phase fieldwork. The requirement for an evaluation is in accordance with the Department of the Environment s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology and Planning (PPG ), and the District Council s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr Paul Smith, County Archaeological Officer for Oxfordshire. The fieldwork was undertaken by Sarah Coles, Danielle Colls and Steve Ford on the 23rd 25th October 2002 and the site code is RPR 02/62. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Service in due course. Location, topography and geology The site is located north-east of Reading and lies between Henley Road and the northern bank of the River Thames (Figs 1 and 2). Access to the site is via Marsh Lane, from Henley Road. The site as a whole is an irregularly shaped parcel of land of c. 250 ha, occupied by several large lakes, which were formerly gravel quarries. The new rowing lake facilities and ancillary facilities occupy an area including previously unquarried areas in excess of 5ha in extent (Fig 2). The site is located on loam and alluvium, with the underlying geology comprising river terrace gravel (BGS 1946), at c. 37m above Ordnance Datum. 1

4 Archaeological background A desk-based assessment highlighted the archaeological potential of the site (Hardy 2002). The site is located within the archaeologically rich middle Thames Valley and is close to the banks of the River Thames, a location often favoured for earlier prehistoric occupation sites. Archaeological deposits in such locations can often be waterlogged with good preservation of organic remains. The desk-based assessment included a search of the Sites and Monuments Records for Oxfordshire and Berkshire, which showed 62 entries relating to archaeological finds, listed buildings and crop marks within a 500m radius of the site. These ranged from the Palaeolithic through to the Post-Medieval period. Cartographic evidence suggested that prior to gravel extraction in the 1960s the site had seen little human activity other than for agriculture. The most noteworthy archaeological investigation undertaken in the vicinity was that at Thames Valley Business Park on the south bank of the River Thames which found evidence of Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman activity (Barnes et al, 1997). Objectives and methodology The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the presence/absence, extent, condition, character, quality and date of any archaeological or palaeoenvironmental deposits within the area of development. Specific research aims were to determine if any archaeologically relevant levels have survived on site and to determine if archaeological deposits of any period are present. Twelve trenches were to be excavated in this second phase of evaluation to add to the seventeen dug during the first phase. The Phase 2 trenches were positioned on the footprints of the proposed rowing course and centre, and the associated parking and access areas. The trenches were intended to be 20m long and 1.8m wide. They were dug by a machine with a toothless ditching bucket 2.2m wide. The trenches were dug under constant archaeological supervision. All spoilheaps were monitored for finds. A complete list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology is given in Appendix 1. Results Twenty-three trenches were eventually excavated and most were dug to a nomimal 10m length, ranging in fact from 9m to 19.8m. All trenches were excavated to natural gravel. The stratigraphy was similar over the entire site, with topsoil of c. 0.3m thickness overlying alluvium overlying gravel. The depth of alluvium above the 2

5 gravel varied considerably. For all trenches the upper levels of the alluvium comprised a grey-yellow silty clay that ranged in depth from 0.8m to 1.3m. For most trenches this in turn overlay a blue grey silty clay that in some areas went to a depth of up to 3.05m to reach gravel (Trench 22), though the gravel was more typically encountered at c. 2m. Four trenches (36 9) did not contain any great thickness of blue-grey alluvium, with the grey-yellow alluvium more or less directly on the natural gravel which was present at a relatively shallow depth of c. 1m Despite the presence of alluvial deposition and the presence of a palaeochannel (as represented by the thickness of the blue grey alluvium), no deposits of high palaeoenvironmental potential such as peat were observed. The natural gravel contained sandy patches along with dark grey natural silty clay patches (Pl. 2). Several of the latter were investigated but were interpreted as of natural origin. One or two of the shallower trenches revealed small amounts of gravel within the lower reaches of the alluvium. It is unclear how this has been caused, but it could indicate some disturbance and reworking of the lower levels of the alluvium, perhaps by water action. Finds A piece of burnt flint weighing 5g and three fragments of badly preserved, unidentifiable animal bone were recovered from the clayey patches on the base of Trench 38. No other finds were recovered from anywhere on the site. Conclusion None of the 23 trenches excavated revealed any deposits of archaeological interest. All of the trenches revealed natural layers of topsoil and alluvium overlying gravel. The depth of alluvium varied considerably, with those trenches located towards the south (towards the modern course of the river) being of greatest depth. These would appear to represent infilling of a former channel of the river. Unfortunately, this infilling did not allow for the formation of peat deposits. The shallower trenches towards the north although now buried by 0.8m or more of alluvium might be regarded as having once been part of a gravel island, that is an area of locally higher ground that is less prone to flooding. Such locations can be shown to have been preferentially occupied during earlier prehistory. 3

6 However, the trenches failed to locate any deposits or finds of archaeological interest and only the single fragment of burnt flint points to the likelihood any human activity at all. There are few indications as to the date of the alluvium and its deposition could have commenced at any time during the post-glacial period especially for the deepest trenches. The presence of the fragment of burnt flint and animal bone from the gravel island suggests that this was inundated at a relatively late date, though perhaps still within prehistoric times. The upper levels of the alluvium were examined for archaeological deposits and finds of relatively late (Roman or medieval) date but none were found. The impression gained from this evaluation is that this part of the valley has always been prone to flooding and was most unlikely to have been used for human occupation at any time with any human possible activity only ever transitory and marginal at best. On the basis of the results presented above, this site does not appear to have any archaeological potential. References BGS, 1946, British Geological Survey, 1:50 000, Sheet 268, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Barnes, I, Butterworth, C,A, Hawkes, J, W, and Smith, L, 1997, Excavation at Thames Valley Park, Reading, Berkshire, , Wessex Archaeology Report 14, Salisbury Coles, S, 2002, Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire: An archaeological evaluation, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 02/62b, Reading Hardy, L-M, 2002, Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire: An archaeological desk based assessment, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 02/62, Reading PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO 4

7 APPENDIX 1: Trench details 0m at South or West end Trench No. Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment N 1.8 S m topsoil onto 1.1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.6m N 2.5 S m topsoil onto 1.2m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.9m N 2.1 S m topsoil onto 1.2m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.6m m topsoil onto 1.2m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 1.1m m topsoil onto 1.25m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 3.05m m topsoil onto 1.3m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.5m m topsoil onto 1.2m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.8m m topsoil onto 1.3m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.5m m topsoil onto 1.15m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.5m m topsoil onto 1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.5m m topsoil onto 1.1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.5m m topsoil onto 1.1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto m topsoil onto 0.9m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.4m m topsoil onto 0.95m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.05m m topsoil onto 1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.05m mid grey blue silty clay alluvial patches onto gravel m topsoil onto 1.3m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.05m mid grey blue silty clay alluvial patches onto gravel m topsoil onto 1.1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto occasional patches of W 1.4 E 1.85 No topsoil at west end. 0.3m topsoil (east) onto 1.3 mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto gravel m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto gravel m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto gravel m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto gravel m topsoil onto 1m mid grey yellow clayey silty alluvium with some gravel pieces onto gravel m topsoil onto 1m mid grey yellow silty clay alluvium onto 0.05m 5

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10 Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire 2002 Phase 2. N Marsh Lane Car park 36.6m Contours indicating the top of the gravel 40 36m Folley Lake East 35.4m 18 Gravel 'island' Car park Marina office m m West Lake SU m Figure 3. Detailed locations of trenches. RPR 02/62

11 Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham Lakes, Henley Road, Caversham, Oxfordshire, Phase 2 NE Trench 22 Topsoil SW Mid grey yellow alluvium Mid grey blue alluvium Gravel Trench 39 SW Topsoil Mid grey yellow alluvium NE Gravel 0 10m Figure 4. Representative sections. RPR 02/62

12 Plate 1. Trench 39 looking west. Plate 2. Trench 38 looking south. Scales: 1m and 0.5m