land at 40a cricklade street, cirencester,...

LAND AT 40A CRICKLADE STREET, CIRENCESTER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

C.A.T JOB: 0917 C.A.T REPORT: 01062

DATE: JUNE 2001

This report has been researched and compiled with all reasonable skill, care, and attention to detail within the terms of the project as specified by the Client and within the general terms and conditions of Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd. The Trust shall not be liable for any inaccuracy, error or omission in the report or other documents produced as part of the Consultancy and no liability is accepted for any claim, loss or damage howsoever arising from any opinion stated or conclusion or other material contained in this report or other documents supplied as part of the Consultancy. This report is confidential to the Client. Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd accept no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report, or any part of it is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk.

© Cotswold Archaeological Trust

Headquarters Building, Kemble Business Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected]

Land at 40A Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief

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CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................... 2

SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 4

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Geology and Topography .............................................................................. 4 1.3 Archaeological Background ......................................................................... 5 1.4 Methodology .................................................................................................. 5

2 WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS ............................................................................ 6

3 ASSESMENT OF RESULTS ................................................................................ 7

4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... 7

5 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 7


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Location Plan ......................................................................................................... 9 Fig. 2 Study area showing location of observed groundworks ....................................... 10


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SUMMARY

Cotswold Archaeological Trust (CAT) was commissioned by Abberley Design on

behalf of Mr I. Crouch to undertake an archaeological watching brief during

groundworks on land at 40a Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

The development area lies within an area of known archaeological potential. The site

lies within the north-west quadrant of the Roman town of Corinium, some 200m to

the north-west of the forum. In the vicinity of the site significant archaeological

remains have been found at Nos. 51-53 Cricklade Street.

No archaeological features or deposits were encountered during the course of the

watching brief.


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 This report presents the results of an archaeological watching brief conducted

on the 1st November 1999 and 2nd May 2001 on land at 40a Cricklade Street,

Cirencester, Gloucestershire (Fig 1). The work was commissioned by

Abberley Design on behalf of Mr I Crouch.

1.1.2 The watching brief was undertaken as a condition of planning permission

granted by Cotswold District Council for alterations to an existing shop and

mews access, and for alterations to a covered area and stores to form a new

shop unit (Planning Refs. CT. 1823/K & CT. 0216/N respectively).

1.1.3 The work was carried out in compliance with the Standard and Guidance for

Archaeological Watching Briefs issued by the Institute of Field

Archaeologists (IFA 1994) and the Statement of Standards and Practices

Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire issued by

Gloucestershire County Council Archaeological Section (GCC 1995).

1.2 The study area

1.2.1 The study area is located to the rear of 40 Cricklade Street, and comprises an

area of approximately 20m2 fronting an enclosed courtyard to the north

(centred on NGR SP 0234 0186).

1.2.2 The underlying geology of the study area comprises of post-glacial drift

deposits of calcareous gravels of the River Churn floodplain (Geological

Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 235). These deposits were not

encountered during the watching brief.


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1.3 Archaeological Background

1.3.1 The proposed development lies within an area of known archaeological

potential. In particular it lies within the north-west quadrant of the Roman

town of Corinium, some 200m to the north-west of the forum. The site also

lies immediately to the south of the projected line of one of the streets that

subdivided the Roman town (Street L in Holbrook and Salvatore 1998; Fig 7).

1.3.2 Significant archaeological remains have previously been identified at Nos.

51-53 Cricklade Street, some 40m to the east of the current site. A trench was

excavated through the Roman street, which was up to 2.80m thick and

comprised of twenty-one successive metallings. Parts of broadly

contemporary stone buildings were identified on either side of the Roman

street, with stylobate footings to the north and a solid wall base to the south

(Barber & Walker 1998, 30-34).

1.3.3 Cricklade Street itself is of medieval origin, with evidence of the regular

tenements plots surviving on nineteenth Ordnance Survey maps.

1.4 Methodology

1.4.1 A project design was prepared by CAT for the watching brief and approved

by Mr Charles Parry, Senior Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County

Council.

1.4.2 The proposed development largely comprised above ground renovation and

changes (ie new partitions and openings etc.) within existing buildings.

Groundworks associated with the redevelopment comprised the excavation of

four inspection pits adjacent to the footings of the existing buildings, the

auguring of 14 piles (each 150mm in diameter) and associated ground

reduction, and the excavation of a new drainage run. All, with the exception

of the piles, were archaeologically monitored.


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1.4.3 All identified deposits were recorded in accordance with the CAT Technical

Manual 1 Field Recording Manual (1996). A full written drawn and

photographic record of the watching brief was compiled in accordance with

the archaeological project design.

1.4.4 All artefactual material was bagged and numbered with unique numbers

relating to the context record. This was done in accordance with the CAT

Technical Manual 3 Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995).

1.4.5 The completed site archive will be deposited with Corinium Museum.

2 WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS

2.1 The natural substrate was not encountered during the watching brief.

Inspection pits

2.2 The four inspection pits, each measuring 0.60m2, were hand excavated to a

maximum depth of 0.75m below the existing ground level. The earliest

deposit encountered, (203), comprised sub angular limestone fragments

within a dark brown silty clay matrix from which sherds of eighteenth to

nineteenth century pottery and machine made red brick was retrieved. It

measured at least 0.35m in depth, although its full extent lay beyond the limit

of excavation.

2.2 It was overlain by deposit (102), typically 0.45m in depth, comprising mid

brown clay-silt containing limestone fragments, charcoal flecks and red brick

fragments. This layer was cut by modern service trenches and was compacted

at the top in preparation for the overlying concrete yard surface layer (103).


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Area of ground reduction and drainage

2.3 Ground reduction was undertaken to a maximum depth of 0.35m below the

existing ground surface (see Fig. 2 for extent), with the drainage run

subsequently being excavated to a depth of 0.3m below the newly reduced

level. A stratigraphic sequence analogous to the inspection pits described

above was revealed throughout.

3 ASSESMENT OF RESULTS

3.1 Despite the sites proximity to known archaeological features no deposits or

features predating the eighteenth to nineteenth century were observed during

the monitoring of the groundworks.

4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cotswold Archaeological Trust would like to thank Mr Charles Parry, Senior

Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County Council, Mr Julian Phillips

(Abberley Design) and Mr I.Crouch.

The fieldwork was carried out by Jo Williams who also compiled the report.

The illustrations were prepared by Peter Moore. The project was managed

for CAT by Geoff Potter and Cliff Bateman.

5 BIBLIOGRAPHY

CAT 1999 40a Cricklade Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, Project Design

for an Archaeological Watching Brief. Cotswold Archaeological Trust.


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Barber, A. & Walker, G.T., 1998 ‘51-53 Cricklade Street’ in N Holbrook (ed)

Cirencester: the Roman Town Defences, Public Buildings and Shops.

Cirencester Excavations V

Holbrook, N., & Salvatore, J. P., 1998 ‘The Street System’ in N Holbrook (ed)

Cirencester: the Roman Town Defences, Public Buildings and Shops.

Cirencester Excavations V


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Fig. 1 Location Plan


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Fig. 2 Study area showing location of observed groundworks

0185

0235

4240b

6

40a

8

65

44

1

67

CRICKLADE STREETClub

ASHCROFT ROAD

N

Area of ground reductionDrain runInspection pit

0 25m

Fig. 2 Study area showing location of obsesrved groundworks

land at 40a cricklade street, cirencester,...

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