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
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