Yew Tree Farm, Part Lane,
Swallowfield, Berkshire
An Archaeological Watching Brief
For Mrs Sarah Firth
by Simon Cass
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd
Site Code: YFB06/127
December 2006
Summary
Site name: Yew Tree Farm, Part Lane, Swallowfield, Berkshire.
Grid reference: SU 7309 6370
Site activity: Watching Brief
Date and duration of project: 26th October 2006
Project manager: Steve Ford
Site supervisor: Andrew Weale
Site code: YFB 06/127
Summary of results: No deposits of archaeological interest were revealed.
Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Reading Museum 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: Steve Preston? 11.12.06
Steve Ford? 11.12.06
Yew Tree Farm, Part Lane, Swallowfield, Berkshire
An Archaeological Watching Brief
by Simon Cass
Report 06/127
Introduction
This report documents the results of an archaeological watching brief carried out at Yew Tree Farm, Part Lane, Swallowfield, Berkshire (SU 7309 6370) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mrs Sarah Firth, Eldon House, The Street, Eversley, Hampshire, RG7 0TJ.
A planning consent (F/2006/8106) has been granted by Wokingham District Council to construct new extensions to Yew Tree Farm, Part Lane, Swallowfield. This consent is subject to a condition (6) relating to archaeology which requires a watching brief to be carried out during groundworks.
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 David Thomason, Archaeology Officer with Berkshire Archaeology, advisers to the District on matters relating to archaeology. The fieldwork was undertaken by Andrew Weale on the 26th October 2006 and the site code is YFB06/127.
The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Reading Museum in due course.
Location, topography and geology
The site is located to the south of the centre of the village of Swallowfield, west of The Broadwater river in the Loddon Valley (Figs 1 and 2). The new extension is on the west side of the existing farm house. The underlying geology is mapped as Valley Gravels (BGS 1946) and gravels were observed in this watching brief. The site lies at a height of c.47m above Ordnance Datum.
Archaeological background
The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted in a brief for the project prepared by Berkshire Archaeology. In summary this potential is derived from its location within the Loddon Valley, an area considered to be rich in archaeological activity, with numerous sites identified by fieldwalking and aerial photography (Ford 1994; Gates 1975). In the immediate vicinity of the site to the east a number of certain and possible sites have been noted; some of which have been partly examined and found to be of Bronze Age and Iron Age date (Lobb and Morris 1993). In addition, the Roman Road from Silchester to London passes c.550m to the south.
The farm house is a listed building (grade II) and is considered to be of 16th-century date.
Objectives and methodology
The purpose of the watching brief was to excavate and record any archaeological deposits affected by the new construction work. This was to involve examination of all areas of topsoil stripping, landscaping, ground reduction and the digging of trenches for foundations and services for structures as necessary.
Results
Three trenches were observed, forming the rectangular foundation footprint of the main new extension (Fig. 3). A second extension was to comprise the squaring up of an existing room of the house and involved demolition of a wall and rebuilding on almost the same base. This latter work was not observed.
The foundation trenches were 0.6m wide and up to 1.5m deep (only 1.2m immediately adjacent to the existing house). The stratigraphy consisted of between 0.2-0.5m of topsoil containing fragments of modern brick and tile (becoming deeper further away from the house) above approximately 0.2m of subsoil comprising mixed yellow/grey/brown silty sand which lay above the natural banded gravels down to the base of the trenches (Fig. 4).
In addition, two soakaways were observed a short distance from the footings. The stratigraphy encountered was broadly similar to that seen in the foundation trenches. They were excavated to depths of 1.55m and 1.4m but no archaeological deposits were seen.
Though the current farmhouse is of 16th-century date there were no finds or features of archaeological interest, it is probable that the development was too close to the main building to encounter ancillary structures or dumping deposits.
Conclusion
No deposits, finds or features of archaeological interest were encountered during this watching brief.
References
BGS, 1946, British Geological Survey, 1:63,360, Sheet 268, Drift Edition, Keyworth
Ford, S, 1997, 'Loddon Valley (Berkshire) fieldwalking survey', BerkshireArchaeol J 75, (for 1994-7) 11-33
Gates, T, 1975, The Thames Valley, An Archaeological Survey of the River Gravels, Berkshire Archaeol Comm Pubn 1, Reading
Lobb, S J and Morris, E L, 1993, 'Investigation of Bronze Age and Iron Age features at Riseley Farm, Swallowfield', Berkshire Archaeol J 74 (for 1991-3), 37-68
PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning Dept Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO
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Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email tvas@tvas.co.uk; website : www.tvas.co.uk
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