2889 The pigeon house ashley manor WB report final · 2014. 10. 29. · adjoining barns are Grade II listed (ref. ST99 SW, 8/3). The pigeon house is two-storey with square perch holes

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THE PIGEON HOUSE ASHLEY MANOR

ASHLEY GLOUCESTERSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

DECEMBER 2009

For

MR J LODWICK

CA PROJECT: 2889 CA REPORT: 09160

THE PIGEON HOUSE ASHLEY MANOR

ASHLEY GLOUCESTERSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

CA PROJECT: 2889 CA REPORT: 09160

prepared by Stuart Joyce, Project Officer

date 22 December 2009

checked by Richard Young, Project Manager

date 23 December 2009

approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts

signed

date 11 January 2009

issue 01

This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely

at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission.

© Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ

Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected]

The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Watching Brief Cotswold Archaeology

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CONTENTS

SUMMARY........................................................................................................................4

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 5

2. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 7

3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 8

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 8

5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 9

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 10 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS ............................................................................................... 13 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 14

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000)

Fig. 2 The site, showing location of groundworks (1:500)


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SUMMARY

Project Name: The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor

Location: Ashley, Gloucestershire

NGR: ST 9322 9475

Type: Watching Brief

Date: 17 June to 19 August 2009

Planning Reference: 06/02252/FUL

Location of Archive: To be deposited with the Corinium Museum

Site Code: PHA 09

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during

groundworks associated with redevelopment of the Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley,

Gloucestershire.

A post-medieval stone-built culvert, associated with the extant barn, was revealed. No

further features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks. A

single sherd of residual medieval pottery was recovered from the subsoil.


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Between June and August 2009 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an

archaeological watching brief for Mr J Lodwick at the Pigeon House, Ashley Manor,

Ashley, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: ST 9322 9475; Fig. 1). The watching brief

was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to a planning consent for the

conversion of the Pigeon House and adjacent barns to dwellings (Cotswold District

Council (CDC) Planning ref: 06/02252/FUL).

1.2 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with a Brief for a Programme of

Archaeological Recording (GCC 2009) prepared by Mr Charles Parry, Senior

Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), archaeological

advisor to CDC and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation

(WSI) produced by CA (2009) and approved by Mr Parry. The fieldwork also

followed the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief issued by

the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA 2008), the Statement of Standards and Practices

Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire (GCC 1995), the

Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management

of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE) (English Heritage

2006).

The site

1.3 The site lies within the southern part of the village of Ashley, approximately 30m

north-east of the medieval St James’s Church and 30m north of Ashley Manor Barn

(Fig. 2). The site lies at approximately 122m AOD.

1.4 The site, approximately 0.2 ha in size, comprises a pigeon house, barns and

grassed area predominantly surrounded by agricultural land under pasture.

1.5 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as Shelly Limestone of the

Middle Jurassic era (BGS 1970). Limestone bedrock was encountered throughout

the observed groundworks.


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Archaeological background

1.6 The site lies immediately north-east of Ashley’s medieval church and Manor. It was

therefore considered to lie within an area where medieval settlement associated with

the church is likely to have been present (GCC 2009). The pigeon house and

adjoining barns are Grade II listed (ref. ST99 SW, 8/3). The pigeon house is two-

storey with square perch holes throughout. It has a louvred ridge lantern with

pyramidal roof and stone ball finial. The adjoining barns were animal shelters,

stables and a cart shed. All the buildings are of random coursed rubble stone

construction and are probably late 18th century.

Archaeological objectives

1.7 The objective of the watching brief was to record all archaeological remains exposed

during the development

Methodology

1.8 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2009). An

archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks comprising the excavation

of test pits (TP 1 to 9) around the exterior of the buildings, the reduction of internal

floor levels (recorded as Trenches 10 to 12), and the digging of a septic tank

(Trench 14) and associated service trench (Trench 13) (Fig. 2).

1.9 Written, graphic and photographic records were compiled in accordance with CA

Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007).

1.10 The archive and artefacts from the watching brief are currently held by CA at their

offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the artefacts will

be deposited with the Corinium Museum, Cirencester, along with the site archive. A

summary of information from this project set out within Appendix C, will be entered

onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.


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2. RESULTS

2.1 A broadly similar stratigraphic sequence was observed across the site. The natural

geological substrate, consisting of limestone brash, was revealed within Test Pits 1

to 9 at depths of 0.1-0.4m below present ground level (bpgl), within Trench 11 at

0.5m bpgl and within Trench 12 at 0.2m bpgl. This was overlain within Test Pits 1 to

9 by silt-clay topsoil/garden soil deposits, averaging 0.35m in thickness, which had

accumulated against the limestone wall footings of the Pigeon House and the barns,

these footings having been built directly off the substrate.

2.2 Trenches 10 to 12, within the interior of the two barns and the Pigeon House,

revealed natural limestone bedrock at depths of 0.3-0.5m bpgl. The natural

substrate within trench 10 was cut by a north-west/south-east-aligned stone-capped

culvert 10003, approximately 0.5m wide, overlain by a stony-silt make-up layer

10002, which contained modern pottery. This was under a cobbled former barn floor

10001, 0.2m in thickness, beneath modern concrete floor 10000. The relationship of

the culvert to the walls of the barn could not be determined as these areas were not

exposed during the groundworks. The natural limestone brash 11002/12001

encountered at the limit of excavation within trenches 11 and 12 was overlain by

modern stony-sand make-up layers 11001/1200 for modern concrete floors

11000/12002. Within Trenches 13 and 14 stony clay-silt subsoil 13001/14002 was

overlain by clay-silt topsoil 13000/14001. A single residual sherd of 11th to 13th-

century AD pottery was recovered from subsoil 13001.

2.3 No further features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during

groundworks and, despite visual scanning of spoil, no artefacts pre-dating the

modern period were recovered.

Finds

2.3 Material comprising quantities of pottery; animal bone, iron and glass, was recovered

from three separate deposits (Appendix B). Pottery fabrics referred to below and in

Appendix B are related to the Cirencester post-Roman pottery type series (Ireland

1998).

2.4 A single rim sherd of medieval pottery, identifiable as a local oolitic limestone–

tempered coarseware (Cirencester type F202), was recovered from subsoil 13001.

The vessel form is identifiable as a jar with everted rim.


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2.5 Modern pottery, including refined whiteware and porcelain, was recovered from

concrete 6003 and bedding layer 10002.

2.6 Quantities of animal bone (six pieces, weighing 153g) were recovered from bedding

layer 10002. Fragments unidentifiable to species are recorded as cow-sized and

sheep-sized. Saw marks are visible on two rib fragments, one of which is from a

juvenile individual. A number of bones show extensive evidence of gnawing by

rodents.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 Despite the proximity of the site to the medieval and later historic core of Ashley,

focused upon its church and Manor, no archaeological features of medieval date

were encountered during the watching brief. The single sherd of medieval pottery

recovered was residual within the subsoil. The absence of structural remains or

other features associated with the medieval settlement suggests either that such

activity did not extend as far as, or were not exposed by, the development, or that

they may have been removed during the construction of the Pigeon House and

adjacent barns. No remains of medieval settlement were observed in the area of the

service trench and septic tank (trenches 13 and 14), where construction is not

thought to have occurred, suggesting that medieval settlement activity probably did

not extend as far as the site.

3.2 The single stone-built culvert recorded in trench 10 is thought to be contemporary

with the construction of the south-western barn, based upon its alignment,

perpendicular to the north-east/south-west axis of the barn, and from the similarity of

its style of construction and the materials used to the extant building. The presence

of modern pottery under the cobbled surface of the barn suggests that this surface

was laid, or more likely relaid, in the 20 century.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Stuart Joyce, Jonathan Bennett, Rebecca Riley, David

Cudlip and Phillipa Mitcheson. The report was written by Stuart Joyce, assisted by

Hazel O’Neil. The archaeological finds were reported on by Victoria Taylor. The

illustrations were prepared by Lorna Gray. The archive has been compiled by Stuart


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Joyce, and prepared for deposition by Victoria Taylor. The project was managed for

CA by Richard Young.

5. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 1970 Geological Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 251:

Malmesbury, 1:50,000

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2009 The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley,

Gloucestershire: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching

Brief

GGC (Gloucestershire county Council) 2009 Brief for a Programme of Archaeological

Recording

Ireland, C.A. 1998 ‘The Pottery’ in Wilkinson, D. and McWhirr, A. 1998 Cirencester Anglo–

Saxon Church and Medieval Abbey Cirencester Excavations IV, 98–140.

Cirencester, Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd


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APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench 1 – 122.88m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

1000 Masonry Footing of building: rough hewn limestone block construction

0.11

1001 Layer Redeposited topsoil/garden soil 0.30 1002 Layer Natural geological substrate: yellow-brown sand-

clay >0.10

1003 Cut Construction cut for 1000 Trench 2 – 122.90m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date


0.35

2001 Layer Redeposited topsoil/garden soil 0.35 2002 Deposit Lead water pipe 2003 Layer Natural geological substrate: yellow-brown sand-

clay

2004 Cut Construction cut for 2000 Trench 3 – 123.16m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date


0.50

3001 Cut Construction cut for 3000 3002 Deposit Black-brown silt-clay, redeposited natural 0.40 3003 Deposit Lead water pipe 3004 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone brash Trench 4 – 122.70m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date


0.35

4001 Cut Construction cut for 4000 4002 Layer Redeposited topsoil/garden soil 0.55 4003 Layer Natural geological substrate: yellow-brown sandy-

clay


(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

4000 Masonry Footing of building; limestone block construction 0.40 4001 Cut Construction cut for 5000 4002 Layer Redeposited topsoil/garden soil 0.40 4003 Layer Natural geological substrate: limestone and

sandy-clay


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(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

6000 Masonry Footing of building; rough hewn limestone block construction

6001 Cut Construction cut for 6000 6002 Deposit Make up layer, granite and limestone pieces 0.20 6003 Deposit Concrete slab, courtyard surface 0.20 6004 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone pieces in

sandy-clay

Trench 7- 122.19m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

7000 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone brash 0.10 7001 Deposit Dark grey remnant silt layer 0.05 7002 Masonry Footing of building; limestone block construction 0.35 7003 Deposit Make-up layer 0.10 7004 Deposit Loose limestone hardcore for 7005 0.20 7005 Deposit Concrete surface 0.05 Trench 8 – 122.24m AOD No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

8000 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone brash 0.15 8001 Deposit Dark grey remnant silt layer 0.05 8002 Masonry Footing of building; limestone block construction 0.30 8003 Deposit Loose limestone hardcore for 7005 0.25 8004 Deposit Concrete surface 0.05 Trench 9 No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

9000 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone brash/clay 9001 Deposit Buried subsoil: light yellow-brown clay 0.15 9002 Deposit Buried topsoil: mid yellow-brown silt-clay 0.05 9003 Deposit Limestone rubble foundations 0.18 9004 Deposit Rubble make up for 9005 0.18 9005 Deposit Concrete surface 0.02 Trench 10 No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

10000 Deposit Concrete surface 0.12 10001 Deposit Former cobbled surface 0.30 10002 Deposit Bedding layer for 10001, yellow-brown silt 10003 Masonry Stone-built culvert Trench 11


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No. Type Description Length (m)

Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

11000 Deposit Concrete surface 0.12 11001 Deposit Levelling for 11000, silt and rubble 0.35 11002 Deposit Natural geological substrate: limestone brash Trench 12 No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

12000 Deposit Make-up layer, mid grey-brown 0.20 12001 Deposit Natural geological substrate: Yellow silt-clay 0.20 12002 Deposit Concrete surface 0.28 12003 Masonry North/west wall face of Pigeon House Trench 13 No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

13000 Deposit Topsoil: dark brown clay-silt 13001 Deposit Subsoil: mid brown clay-silt Trench 14 No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

14000 Deposit Topsoil: dark grey-brown silt-clay 0.18 14001 Deposit Subsoil: yellow-brown silt-lay 0.22


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APPENDIX B: THE FINDS

Finds Concordance

Context Material Description Count Weight(g) Spot date 6003 Modern pottery Refined white ware, porcelain 9 246 C20 10002 Modern pottery

Glass Fe object Animal bone

Refined white ware, porcelain Vessel glass Unidentifiable object Cow-sized, sheep-sized

8 11 2 6

49 199 38 153

C20

13001 Pottery Oolitic limestone-tempered medieval coarseware (F202)

1 44 C11-C13


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APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS Project Name The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor

Short description

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with redevelopment of The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley, Gloucestershire. A post-medieval stone-built culvert, associated with the extant barn, was revealed. No further features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks. A single sherd of residual medieval pottery was recovered from the subsoil.

Project dates 17 June to 19 August 2009 Project type Watching Brief Previous work none Future work Unknown PROJECT LOCATION Site Location The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley,

Gloucestershire Study area (M2/ha) 0.2 ha Site co-ordinates ST 9322 9475 PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology Project Brief originator Gloucestershire County Council Project Design (WSI) originator Cotswold Archaeology Project Manager Richard Young Project Supervisor Stuart Joyce PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of

archive Content

Physical Corinium Museum Pottery, animal bone Paper Corinium Museum WSI, pro forma

registers, recording forms and photographs

Digital Corinium Museum Digital photographs etc BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2009 The Pigeon House, Ashley Manor, Ashley, Gloucestershire:

Archaeological Evaluation. CA typescript report 09160

Gloucestershire

site

0 2.5km

PROJECT TITLE

FIGURE TITLE

N

PROJECT TITLE

SCALEDRAWN BY PROJECT NO. FIGURE NO.

COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY

Reproduced from the 1998 Ordnance Survey Explorer map with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeological Trust 100002109 c

The Pigeon House, Ashley ManorAshley, Gloucestershire

Site location plan

1:25,000@A4 2889LG 1

BARNBARN

THETHEPIGEONPIGEONHOUSEHOUSE

BARNBARN

TP1

TP2

TP3

TP4 TP5

TP6

TP7

Trench 14

TP8

TP9

Trench 11

Trench 10

Trench 12

Trench 13

culvert10003

STSTST

948

932

PROJECT TITLE

FIGURE TITLE

COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY

N

SCALEDRAWN BY PROJECT NO. FIGURE NO.

0 50m

The Pigeon House, Ashley ManorAshley, Gloucestershire

The site, showing location ofgroundworks

Reproduced from the 2009 Ordnance Survey digital mapping with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeological Trust 100002109 c

1:500@A4 2889LG 2

site

area of observed groundworks

archaeological feature

Documents

2889 The pigeon house ashley manor WB report final · 2014. 10. 29. · adjoining barns are Grade II listed (ref. ST99 SW, 8/3). The pigeon house is two-storey with square perch holes