Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire

An Archaeological Evaluation

for BUPA Care Services

by Andy Taylor

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code 2CST05/51

June 2005

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Summary

Site name: Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire Grid reference: SU 5181 6750 Site activity: Evaluation Date and duration of project: 27th and 28th June 2005 Project manager: Helen Moore Site supervisor: Andy Taylor Site code: 2CST05/51 Area of site: c. 3000 sq m Summary of results: Two modern gullies and two pits or gully termini were observed Monuments identified: Two undated pits (or gully termini) and two modern gullies Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with West Berkshire Heritage Service 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: Jennifer Lowe 30.06.05 Steve Preston 30.06.05

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Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire An Archaeological Evaluation

by Andy Taylor

Report 05/51

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham,

West Berkshire (SU 5181 6750) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Brian Sutton of BUPA Care

Services Property Department, Parklands Court Nursing Home, 56 Park Road, Bloxwich, Walsall, West

Midlands, WS3 3ST.

A planning application is being prepared for West Berkshire Council for the development of land to the

rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham as a 60-bed nursing home. West Berkshire Archaeology Service has advised

that, due to the high archaeological potential of the site, a programme of field evaluation should be undertaken,

in order to inform the planning process.

This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology

and Planning (PPG16 1990), and the District’s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out

to a specification approved by Mr Duncan Coe, Archaeological Officer with West Berkshire Heritage Service.

The fieldwork was undertaken by Andy Taylor and Simon Cass on the 27th and 28th June 2005 and the site code

is 2CST05/51. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be

deposited with West Berkshire Heritage Service in due course.

Location, topography and geology

The site is a roughly rectangular parcel of land on the north side of Chapel Street (A4), in the centre of Thatcham

and currently consists of scrubland with concrete pads from previously demolished buildings. The underlying

geology consists of river and valley gravels (BGS 1947) and the site lies at a height of 76.50m AOD.

Archaeological background

The archaeological potential of this site is primarily due to its location on the fringes of the historic core of

Thatcham which is thought to be centred on the Broadway just to the south of the site.

The town’s origins are thought to lie in the Saxon period with the focus of the settlement being centred

around St Mary’s Church, to the south of the site (Astill 1978). There is a reference to a settlement at Thatcham

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(Taceham) in AD 971 and by the time of Domesday Book (1086) there is a reference to a Minster church which

suggests the town acted as a local religions centre (Astill 1978). However there is no real evidence to suggest

that the town ever gained any real status and by the 15th century the town appeared to be in decline (Allen 1999).

Recent work has begun to document the origins and development of the town archaeologically. For

example to the south of the church both Saxon and medieval deposits have been recorded (Wallis 2005), yet an

evaluation immediately to the south west of the site failed to record any archaeological deposits (Taylor and

Wallis 2005).

The site itself, until recently, was a working farm with the farm buildings indicating that they belong to the

post-medieval period, though it is as yet unknown if there are any earlier (medieval) phases of the farm.

Roman activity is well documented in Thatcham with Roman occupation recorded along the route of the

Bath Road approximately 600m to the west of the site (Harris 1934; Harris 1934-7). The route of the Roman

road (Ermine Street) connecting Silchester and Cirencester is also though to be located immediately to the south

of the Bath Road (Margary 1955). However, it is not thought that this Roman settlement extended as far as the

proposal site nor the historic centre of the town.

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 evaluation were;

a) To determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on the site.

b) To determine if archaeological deposits of any period are present.

c) To determine if deposits forming part of the Roman settlement known to lie to the west extend to within the

site.

d) To determine if deposits forming part of Saxon, medieval or post-medieval Thatcham lie within the site.

e) To determine if any deposits relating specifically to the post-medieval use of the site as a farm are present.

Three trenches were dug measuring between 21.20m and 29.50m. These were dug by a JCB-type machine fitted

with a toothless ditching bucket under constant archaeological supervision. All spoilheaps were monitored for

finds.

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A complete list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology is

given in Appendix 1.

Results

Trench 1

This trench consisted of topsoil overlying subsoil overlying a light grey silty clay, containing fragments of

modern tile, overlying gravel natural. Two gullies/ditches were identified, of which one, containing large

amounts of modern tile, was not investigated. The other was slightly sinuous, aligned approximately north–

south. A slot (1) was excavated through it at the point where another cut (2), containing a sheep skeleton, was

evident. Both of these contained pieces of modern brick and tile.

Trench 2 (Plate 1)

This trench contained topsoil overlying subsoil gravel natural. No archaeological deposits were observed.

Trench 3 (Plate 2)

This trench consisted of topsoil overlying subsoil overlying gravel natural. At the western end a layer of made

ground, consisting of brick rubble, was beneath the topsoil overlying the subsoil. Two possible pits or gully

termini were identified between 0.90m and 1.50m (3) and between 8.10m and 8.90m (4). Both of these were

fully excavated within the trench and did not contain any dating evidence. If these were gullies, they did not

extend as far as Trench 2.

Finds

Only finds of modern brick and tile and the skeleton of a sheep were noted. None of these were retained.

Conclusion

The evaluation located two unambiguously modern gullies and two undated pits or gully termini. Although it is

not uncommon for Saxon or earlier features to contain few (or no) finds, there is no particular reason to suppose

the undated features here need be of these periods and they could both be of relatively modern date. It is possible

that they relate to the use of the post-medieval farm. On the basis of these results, whilst the archaeological

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potential of the site cannot be dismissed entirely, nevertheless the site only appears to have little archaeological

potential.

References

Allen, P, 1999, A popular History of Thatcham, Oxford Astill, G, G, 1978, Historic towns of Berkshire :An archaeological Appraisal , Berkshire Archaeological

Committee Publication No 2, Reading BGS, 1947, British Geological Survey, 1:63360, Sheet 267, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Harris, W E, 1937, ‘A Romano-British settlement at Thatcham Newtown, Berkshire’, Trans Newbury and

District Fld Club 7, 6-17 Harris, W E, 1934-7, ‘Romano-British settlement at Thatcham Newtown, Berkshire’, Trans Newbury and

District Fld Club 8, 219-255 Margary, I, D, 1955, Roman Roads in Britain, London PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO Taylor, A and Wallis, S, 2005, 1 Broadway, Thatcham, West Berkshire, an archaeological evaluation, Thames

Valley Archaeological Services report 05/18, Reading Wallis, S, 2005, 12-14 Church Gate, Thatcham, West Berkshire, An archaeological Evaluation, Thames Valley

Archaeological Services, Report 03/49b, Reading

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APPENDIX 1: Trench details 0m at S or W end

Trench No. Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment 1 29.50 1.60 0.80 0.00m-0.15m topsoil; 0.15m-0.35m subsoil; 0.35m-0.80m light grey

silty clay containing tile fragments. Gully 1, Sheep burial 2. 2 21.20 1.60 0.62 0.00m-0.32m topsoil; 0.32m-0.60m subsoil; 0.60m-0.62m+ gravel

natural. [Plate 1] 3 22.10 1.60 0.95 0.00m-0.15m topsoil; 0.15m-0.30m brick rubble; 0.30m-0.90m

subsoil; 0.90m-0.95m+ gravel natural. Pits/gully termini 3 and 4. [Plate 2]

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APPENDIX 2: Feature details Trench Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence 1 1 50 Ditch Modern Brick and Tile 1 2 51 Sheep burial Modern Brick and Tile 3 3 52 Pit/Gully terminal Unknown None 3 4 53 Pit/Gully terminal Unknown None

Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, ThatchamWest Berkshire, 2005

An Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 1. Location of site within Thatcham andBerkshire.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1172 SU46/56 at1:12500

Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880

67000

68000

SU51000 52000

SITE

2CST 05/51

SITE

0 100m

Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire, 2005

Figure 2: Site Location 2CST 05/51

Chapel Street

Broa

dway

SU 51800 51900

67500

0 100m

Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire, 2005

Figure 3 : Trench Locations 2CST 05/51

Chapel Street

Broa

dway

SU 51800 51900

67500

1

2

3 1 and 23 4

N

0 5m

1m 2m 9m

3 4

Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire, 2005

Figure 4: Trench Plans 2CST 05/51

Trench 3

Trench 1

1m 2m 3m 5m 6m 7m 8m

Modern Gully

1

2

8m 9m 10m 11m 12m 13m 14m 15m 16m

16m 17m 18m 19m 20m 21m 22m 23m 24m

24m 25m 26m 27m 28m 29m

N

Trench 1

Trench 1

Trench 1

0 2m

76.79m

76.57m

76.50m

Land to the rear of 2 Chapel Street, Thatcham, West Berkshire, 2005

Topsoil

Subsoil

51

Topsoil

Brick Rubble Made Ground

Subsoil

52

Topsoil

Disturbed Subsoil with Brick Rubble Fragments

53

Figure 5: Sections 2CST 05/51

N S

2

11 5050

3

W E

W E

4

Plate 1. Trench 3, Pit 3 SSW facing section, horizontal scale 0.30m, verticle scale 0.10m.

Plate 2. Trench 2 looking west, scales 1m, 2m.

2CST 05/51