PHASE 1B LAWLEY VILLAGE

TELFORD SHROPSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

For

WSP ENVIRONMENTAL UK

on behalf of

LAWLEY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

CA PROJECT: 2501 CA REPORT: 08015

MARCH 2008

PHASE 1B

LAWLEY VILLAGE TELFORD

SHROPSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

CA PROJECT: 2501 CA REPORT: 08015

prepared by Jonathan Bennett, Project Supervisor

date 4 March 2008

checked by Richard Young, Project Manager

date 11 March 2008

approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts

signed

date 17 March 2008

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: enquiries@cotswoldarch.org.uk

© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

CONTENTS

SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 2

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3

2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) ............................................................................................... 5

3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 5

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 5

5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 5

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 6 APPENDIX E: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 7

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

Fig. 2 Phase 1B development area, showing location of groundworks (1:5000)

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

SUMMARY

Project Name: Phase 1B Lawley Village

Location: Lawley, Telford, Shropshire

NGR: SJ 670 082

Type: Watching Brief

Date: 7th – 14th January 2008

Planning Reference: w2004/0908

Location of Archive: To be deposited with Shropshire Museum Service

Site Code: LVT08

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during

groundworks associated with Phase 1B of the Lawley Village Sustainable Urban

Development Scheme at Lawley, Telford, Shropshire.

No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks, and

no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered.

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In January 2008 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological watching

brief for WSP Environmental UK on behalf of Lawley Development Group at Lawley

Village, Telford, Shropshire (centred on NGR: SJ 675 090 Fig. 1). The watching brief

was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to a planning consent for Lawley Village

Sustainable Urban Development Scheme (Planning ref: w2004/0908). The objective

of the watching brief was to record all archaeological remains exposed during the

development.

1.2 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of

Investigation (WSI) produced by WSP (2006) and approved by Mr M. Watson,

Historic Environment Officer, Shropshire County Council, archaeological advisor to

the LPA. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for an

Archaeological Watching Brief issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (2001)

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

The site

1.3 The site lies directly to the south of Lawley Villlage on a slight south-facing slope. It

is bounded by the A5223 to the south-east, Dawley Road to the north-east and open

farm land to the west (Fig. 2). The site lies at approximately 180m AOD.

1.4 The Phase 1B site is roughly triangular in shape and encompasses an area of

5.6ha.

1.5 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as productive measures of coal

from the lower and upper middle carboniferous with sandstone and fire clay strata

(WSP 2006). This was observed in the excavation of footing trenches.

Archaeological background

1.6 The development area of Lawley Village lies broadly within the Coalbrookdale

Coalfield, which has been exploited since the medieval period. Lawley village dates

back to at least AD 1086, as it was recorded in the Domesday Book. It is

documented in AD 1180 as having a forge, although the location of this is unknown.

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

The 1840 Tithe map and apportionment for Lawley record a Near Smithy Pool, Far

Smithy Pool and Smithy Pool in the vicinity of the site. The field labelled as Smithy

Pool lies directly to the west of the site and may indicate that the medieval forge was

located in this area. However, the 1889 first edition OS map records a smithy on the

western side of the crossroads in the centre of Lawley and it is quite likely that the

‘smithy’ field names refer to this structure and not the medieval forge. Mine

workings, bell pits and shafts dating to the 18th century have also been recorded in

this area. The southern and eastern portions of Phase 1B have previously be

subject to opencast activity. In the north of the development zone there is a low

potential for medieval remains associated with the settlement of Lawley to be

present. There is a moderate potential for remains of medieval agricultural activity to

be present, but the significance of such remains is considered to be low (WSP

2006).

Methodology

1.7 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (WSP 2006). An

archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks associated with

development of the Phase 1B area, in areas that had not been previously subject to

modern opencast mineral extraction. The watching brief comprised the observation

of ground reduction and the excavation of footing trenches. Non-archaeologically

significant deposits were removed by the contractors under archaeological

supervision.

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

Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007).

1.9 The archive from the evaluation is currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble,

and will be deposited with Shropshire Museum Service. A summary of information

from this project, set out within Appendix B will be entered onto the OASIS online

database of archaeological projects in Britain.

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

2. RESULTS (FIG. 2)

2.1 No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during

groundworks and, despite visual scanning of spoil, no artefactual material pre-dating

the modern period was recovered. This artefactual material was not retained.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 Despite the archaeological potential of the application area, the watching brief

identified no archaeological remains within the area of observed groundworks. The

absence of archaeological deposits associated with the medieval settlement at

Lawley suggest that either they do not extend as far as or were not exposed by the

development.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Jonathan Bennett, who also wrote the report. The

illustrations were prepared by Jemma Elliot. The archive has been compiled by

Jonathan Bennett, and prepared for deposition by Kathryn Price. The project was

managed for CA by Richard Young.

5. REFERENCES

WSP (WSP Environmental UK) 2006 Written Scheme of Investigation for Phase 1

Development Zones at Lawley Village, Telford

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

No. Type Description Length

(m) Width (m)

Depth (m)

Spot-date

001 Topsoil Dark greyish brown silty clay 0.40m 002 Subsoil Mid orangey brown sandy clay 0.20m 003 Natural Mid reddish brown sandy clay 0.60m+ 004 Dep Fill of modern water pipe cut 005 2m 0.50m 005 Cut Cut for modern water pipe 2m 0.50m

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© Cotswold Archaeology Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

APPENDIX E: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS Project Name Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire

Short description (250 words maximum)

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with Phase 1B of the Lawley Village Sustainable Urban Development Scheme at Lawley, Telford, Shropshire. No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks, and no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered.

Project dates 7th – 14th January 2008 Project type (e.g. desk-based, field evaluation etc)

Watching brief

Previous work (reference to organisation or SMR numbers etc)

Environment Impact Assessment - Atkins Consultants (2004)

Future work Unknown

PROJECT LOCATION Site Location Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire Study area (M2/ha) 5.6ha Site co-ordinates (8 Fig Grid Reference) SJ 675 090

PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology

Project Brief originator WSP Environmental UK Project Design (WSI) originator WSP Environmental UK Project Manager Richard Young Project Supervisor Jonathan Bennett PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of

archive (museum/Accession no.)

Content (e.g. pottery, animal bone etc)

Physical n/a n/a Paper Shropshire Museum

Service Trench Sheet, Site Plan

Digital Shropshire Museum Service

Digital photos

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2008 Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire: Archaeological Watching

Brief for WSP Environmental UK on behalf of Lawley Development Group, CA typescript report 08015

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Telfordand

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Reproduced from the 2000 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

Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire

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PROJECT TITLE

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SCALEDRAWN BY PROJECT NO. FIGURE NO.

COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY

0 500m

area of development for phase 1B

location of groundworks

location of open cast mining

Reproduced from the 2000 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

Phase 1B, Lawley Village, Telford, Shropshire

Phase 1B development area, showing location of groundworks

1:5000@A4 2501JE 2