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Report Title

Land off Albany Road, Bedford: Archaeological Field Evaluation

Publisher and Publication Year

Albion Archaeology - 2006

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Summary

Non-Technical Summary In February 2006 Albion Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation, in advance of planning application, on land to the west of Albany Road, Bedford. The work was carried out on behalf The Thomas Christie Trustees. The Site comprises an area of c.0.1 hectares of land centred on NGR TL 0538 4969. At the time of the fieldwork the Site consisted of an enclosed area of grass and small patches of scrub. The Site is located outside the main historic core of Bedford, although it is only c. 60m east of Bedford Castle Mound. Newnham Road, to the west of the Site, is thought to mark the eastern extent of the historic town from Saxon times until the early 19th century. To the south lies the River Great Ouse. Four trial trenches were evenly distributed across the Site. These enabled a full assessment of the potential for surviving remains associated with historical Bedford, in particular activities outside the town limits and next to the river frontage. No remains dating from before the 19th century were found, confirming that the Site lies outside the historic core of the town. The earliest feature was an east-west ditch, which corresponds with a boundary on the 1884 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. It formed the southern boundary of a square enclosure fronting onto Albany Road. The ditch was sealed by a thick dump of orange clay and silt, which was recorded in all four trenches and overlay the original land surface. This material is not derived from local sources and is therefore, likely to have been brought in during building activity along Albany Road around 1900. It probably represents an attempt to raise the ground level to prevent flooding of the new houses. Evidence for modern, small-scale gravel extraction was identified in the form of a possible quarry pit, which was cut through the levelling layer. Albion Archaeology Land off Albany Road, Bedford Archaeological Field Evaluation 8 1. INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents

List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Plates....................................................................................................................................... 4 Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Structure of this report...................................................................................................................... 5 Key Terms .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Non-Technical Summary .................................................................................................................. 7 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................8 1.1 Planning Background.......................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Site Location and Description ............................................................................................ 8 1.3 Archaeological Background................................................................................................ 8 2. TRIAL EXCAVATION.............................................................................10 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Method Statement ............................................................................................................. 10 2.3 Results of the Trial Excavation ........................................................................................ 11 3. SYNTHESIS ...........................................................................................13 3.1 Discussion........................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Summary of Significance .................................................................................................. 13 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................15 5. APPENDICES ........................................................................................17 5.1 Trench Summary............................................................................................................... 17

Headings

Preface
Key Terms
Non-Technical Summary
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Planning Background
1.2 Site Location and Description
1.3 Archaeological Background
2. TRIAL EXCAVATION
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Method Statement
2.3 Results of the Trial Excavation
2.3.1 General deposit model (Plates 1 and 2)
2.3.2 Boundary ditch
2.3.3 Site-wide levelling layer
2.3.4 Quarry pit (Figure 2)
2.3.5 Modern pit (Figure 2)
3. SYNTHESIS
3.1 Discussion
3.2 Summary of Significance
4. BIBLIOGRAPHY
5. APPENDICES
5.1 Trench Summary
2 Km
Archaeological Feature
Albion Archaeology