EDGWAREBURY GOLF COURSE
EDGWARE,
LONDON BOROUGH OF BARNET
WATCHING BRIEF REPORT
1 SUMMARY
A watching brief was undertaken during ground work in advance of the remodelling of the golf course. There was a potential for uncovering Roman and possibly earlier features, however no archaeology was observed due to the limited depth of soil removal. Modern pottery sherds and tile fragments in the topsoil were the only finds recovered.
2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 Site Location
Edgwarebury Golf Club is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, north-west of Edgware (TQ 1835 9320) (Figures 1 & 2). The site lies within an Area of Archaeological Significance, as designated by the London Borough of Barnet, but contains no Listed Buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The majority of the site is of open ground, with features including multiple greens and a club house. The site is composed of an irregular shaped piece of land, bounded by the Edgware Way (A41) to the north-east, Pipers Green Lane to the south, and open ground to the west.
The British Geological Survey map (BGS Sheet 256) indicates the base geology is London Clay. The site lies near the base of Brockley Hill in the north, and includes a gentle slope descending from the east. No geotechnical work has been conducted on the site.
The site is being developed by European Golf Developments on behalf of Edgwarebury Golf Club. The proposed scheme involves re-landscaping the current golf course layout (Figure 2), this will include the insertion of new sand bunkers, rebuilding tees and greens, extension and relaying of the existing car park and development of the clubhouse (Figure 3).
.3 Planning Background
Due to the archaeological potential for the site, a condition was attached to the planning permission by the Barnet London Borough Planning Highways and Design on the recommendation of the Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS).
An Archaeological Desk Based Assessment was completed by AOC in December 2002 (AOC Archaeology, 2002). From which a Written Scheme of Investigation was produced (AOC Archaeology 2003) defining methodology and site procedures for the watching brief.
3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
3.1 The Archaeological Desk Based Assessment produced by AOC (AOC Archaeology, 2002) provides a detailed description of all the archaeological evidence found within a 1km radius of the Edgwarebury Golf Course site. The site is located within an area of archaeological importance but does not contain any Listed Buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Archaeological finds and features from the Mesolithic up to present day have been found within this area but most of the evidence pertains to the Roman period. The following summary is based on the information in the Archaeological Desk Based Assessment.
3.2 Prehistoric (before c. AD 60)
Little evidence of prehistoric activity has been uncovered in this area, although the nearest of three sites is just 400m to the south. This consisted of a possible Iron Age enclosure opening onto Watling Street. The other two sites, also on Brockley Hill, provided a Bronze Age barrow, and a number of Mesolithic and Neolithic flints. A Bronze Age arrowhead was also retrieved from this last site, which was the furthest away at c.800m up the hill.
3.3 Roman (c. AD 43 - 450)
The Roman's were very active in this area, with evidence dating from the 1st century until the 4th century AD, though most relates to the late 2nd century onwards. The majority of entries for the Roman period relate to evidence of the Roman Road of Watling Street including multiple metalled surfaces and road side ditches. The approximate course of Watling Street transverses from the southeast to the northwest towards Brockley Hill, where it is believed that the industrial quarter of the Roman town of Sulloniacae is sited (approximately 1.5km northwest from the site). Excavations have uncovered pottery kilns, waste dumps and pits with potters clay, and kiln debris. The earliest date to AD50-60, and the oldest to AD110-160. There is no evidence for any pottery production after AD160. Scatters of pottery and tile fragments have been found within 250m of the golf course, either to the northeast, or the southwest. Associated with the industrial activity of the late 1st to early 2nd century AD are cremation burials excavated in 1954 from a site about 0.5km to the north of Piper's Green Lane. The presence of burials and industrial evidence suggests a permanent domestic settlement is still likely to be in the vicinity of this site. The continual discovery of finds along Brockley Hill, of pottery, coins and road widening schemes amongst other things, dated throughout the 1st to 4th centuries AD, suggest there is still a settlement to be found.
3.4 Saxon (c. 450 - 1066)
The first reference to Edgware is in a charter of King Edward in AD 978, where it is called Aegceswer. Little is known of the Saxon presence in this area, though there are suggestions that between AD957 and AD978, the village was deserted due to the unrest at this time, between kings. This culminated in the assassination of King Edward in AD979, and consequently people moved back to Edgware. There are no references to Saxon finds in the area within the SMR.
3.5 Medieval (c. 1066 - 1485)
The area was populated through the medieval period, with the Vill of Edgware recorded during the 12th and 13th centuries. Medieval evidence is scarce. Evidence of a metalled surface of a rammed gravel and clay road has been found in the upper part of Brockley Hill, and medieval activity includes the mention of an earthen dam in a manuscript of 1234 located to the northeast of site, while a small quantity of 12th-14th century pottery was excavated from Canon's Corner.
3.6 Post-Medieval (c. 1485 - modern)
Maps show that little occurred on the land where the Edgwarebury Golf Course is located until 1938. Prior to this date, maps as early as that of the All Souls College 1597 show the land was divided up as agricultural fields and in 1791, the land between Edgware and London was mainly designated as meadows or pasture. The 1873 Ordnance Survey map shows London Road had been laid, running west from Watling Street. A possible trackway was uncovered in 1995 by Wessex Archaeology, dating to the post medieval period, along with some pottery and ceramic building material. The OS map for 1938 shows the first development on the proposed site, the land is marked up as being in use as a sports ground, with the presence of a pavilion adjacent to Pipers Green Lane. The 1968 maps show that the pavilion had been demolished, and the land renamed as Edgwarebury Golf Course. Edgwarebury Golf Course, as it existed in 1968, remains unaltered up to the present day.
4 AIMS OF THE INVESTIGATION
* To establish the presence/absence of any archaeological remains within the development site.
* To establish the ecofactual and environmental potential of any archaeological deposits and features and to establish the depositional sequence.
* To place the site within a local, regional and national context
* To assist in the endeavour to find Sulloniacae through analysis of any Roman deposits found on the site.
* The final aim is to make available to interested parties the results of the investigation subject to any confidentiality restrictions.
5 STRATEGY
An archaeological watching brief was carried out during intrusive groundworks associated with re-landscaping the current golf course. This involved a detailed inspection of the site after the topsoil strip was finished. A toothless ditching bucket was used during the ground reduction.
A unique site code (EGF 04) was obtained from the London Archaeological Archive Resource Centre prior to commencing the watching brief works.
Site procedures were as defined in the Written Scheme of Investigation.
6 RESULTS
The topsoil, mid brown silt was recorded as 0.25m-0.30m deep overlying the natural light brown orangey silty clay. Only a few small patches of the underlying clay were uncovered. There is, however, still a high potential for archaeology to be present on site which will now be preserved under the new golf course.
A few finds were recovered from the topsoil. Tile and brick fragments were commonly spread throughout the site as well as sherds of broken white ceramic pottery These have been spot dated to 1800-2000and discarded.
7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The location of the site to previously recorded Roman landscapes and occupations, suggests a high potential for archaeology. However, during this phase of work the impact into the natural clay was minimal with no opportunity for archaeology to be observed and recorded, as most of the topsoil remained in situ.
It is the author's recommendation that prior to any later development of this site, more archaeological evaluation work should be carried out to establish the potential for any archaeological remains.
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
AOC Archaeology Group (2002) An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Edgwarebury Golf Course, Edgware, London Borough of Barnet.
AOC Archaeology Group (2003). A written Scheme of Investigation. Edgwarebury Golf Course, Edgware, London Borough of Barnet.
AOC Archaeology Group,
12th March 2004
Figure 1
EDGWAREBURY GOLF COURSE, EDGWARE, BARNET, WATCHING BRIEF REPORT
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(c) AOC ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP - MARCH 2004