Fieldwork Reports: August 2003
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The following reports on recent archaeological fieldwork undertaken in Northamptonshire were published by NCC's Historic Environment Team (Northamptonshire Heritage) on 14 August 2003.

The reports have been passed to the Northamptonshire Sites and Monuments Record and will be entered into the SMR database system.

KINGS MEADOW LANE HIGHAM FERRERS
NGR SP 9544 6921
Project Design for Post-Excavation Assessment
Oxford Archaeology
Between August 2002 and March 2003 OA undertook a programme of archaeological work on part of an important Roman roadside settlement at Kings Meadow Lane, Higham Ferrers. The excavations revealed a substantial part of the settlement, including 18 buildings, which formed a 'domestic core', along with outlying enclosure systems and small cemeteries. In addition, a shrine defined by a temenos was comprehensively excavated, and produced large quantities of structured finds deposits, including a number of rare votive objects. This formed the second known religious component of the site, as a probable temple building had already been excavated further to the north during earlier excavations in 2001.

This document forms a research design for the assessment of the site archive generated by the fieldwork. The document sets out the research framework and proposed methods for the assessment, as prescribed by English Heritage MAP2.

LAND AT TOWCESTER RACECOURSE, TOWCESTER
NGR SP 7061 4764
Watching Brief, Earthwork Survey and Tree Ring Count
Archaeological Services & Consultancy
During January and February 2003 a watching brief and earthworks survey was undertaken during the groundworks for the construction of new stables and associated parking on land at Towcester Racecourse, near Towcester. Medieval ridge and furrow earthworks and three post medieval tree stumps were recorded within the development area.

LAND AT THE REAR OF THE TALBOT HOTEL, OUNDLE
NGR TL 0398 8870
Desk-based Assessment Trial Trenching and Building Recording
Martin Tingle
The good preservation of the post-medieval building stock and urban topography of the historic core of Oundle served to limit any conclusions that could be drawn in the desk-based assessment. However, it was concluded that the area may have had prehistoric and Roman remains, as well as Saxon and Medieval remains. The evaluation trenches did not reveal any significant pre-modern deposits however. A single wall appears to be associated with a property boundary that went out use in the late nineteenth century. A detailed survey of three standing buildings on the site, revealed that the largest was a row of four stables with a cart house, to which a cart shed had been added at a later date. In the south-west corner of the site a barn may have a 17th or 18th century date.

RADSTONE TECHNOLOGY SITE, TOWCESTER
NGR SP 691 485
Desk-based Assessment
John Samuels Archaeological Consultants
Prior to development of the site by David Wilson Estates a desk-based assessment was carried out. The proposed development lies in the south-west of Towcester where the line of the Roman town's defensive ditch may cross the east part of Block B (to the east of the site). If such features are present they would be of regional importance. Block A has evidence of Roman occupation and tow burials within its boundaries and the accepted alignment of the major Roman Alchester Road also passes across the south-east ends of both Block A and Block B.

TOWER BUNGALOW, YARDLEY GOBION
NGR SP 75695 44916
Watching Brief
R J Ivens
An archaeological recording action was carried out during the excavation of the footprints of a house and garage. The only archaeological feature discovered consisted of a late seventeenth century ditch., which can probably be correlated with a field boundary mapped in c 1725 and which survived until later twentieth century. The site appears, therefore, to lie outside the bounds of the village.

LAND WEST OF NEW ROUNDABOUT, UPTON WAY, NORTHAMPTON
NGR SP 7274 5966
Watching Brief
Northamptonshire Archaeology
A watching brief was undertaken by NA during groundwork for new drains and a new spur road feeding west to a proposed new development on the A45 Upton Way. No archaeological deposits were revealed. Evidence for past use of the landscape was limited to the remains of the medieval ridge and furrow field system.

ROWLER MANOR ESTATE, CROUGHTON
NGR SP 550 355
Heritage conservation and Management Plan
CGMS Consulting
The document provides the management framework for the display of the Bellerophon mosaic, part of the Croughton Roman Settlement. The plan, a condition of the Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent, describes the monument at Rowler Manor Estate. It provides the context for and reasoning behind policies which will underpin the future management, successful display, conservation and presentation of the Bellerophon mosaic and provide for the long-term conservation of the SAM.

BURTON WOLD FARM, KETTERING
NGR SP 9155 7514
Geophysical Survey
Northamptonshire Archaeology
A geophysical survey was carried out by NA over 3.2ha at Burton Wold Farm. A large number of magnetic anomalies were detected indicating the presence of many buried ditches and pits, the majority within a possible large ditched enclosure.

OUNDLE ROAD, THRAPSTON
NGR TL 0067 7901
Trial Excavation
Northamptonshire Archaeology
Northamptonshire Archaeology carried out trial excavation on land off Oundle Road, Thrapston. Fifteen trenches, each twenty metres long were excavated. No archaeological deposits were revealed in any of the trenches.

THE LAUNDRY BLOCK AT ST MARYS HOSPITAL KETTERING
NGR SP 8703 7815
Building Recording
Northamptonshire Archaeology
The building recording exercise achieved a detailed sequence of development for the former laundry, which was built in 1894, although precise dating of internal alterations and room additions was not possible. However, due to the lack of surviving fixtures and fittings together with primary records, it was not possible to suggest how the building functioned, who worked within it or which communities it served.

NENE GATES, WELLINGBOROUGH
NGR SP 9067 6726 - SP 9104 6716
Watching Brief
Northamptonshire Archaeology
An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by NA on behalf of the Environment Agency during groundworks associated with a new river channel on land downstream of Lower Wellingborough Lock. In both areas excavated depths of alluvial silts were exposed, indicating that they lay on the floodplain. No archaeological deposits or artefacts were revealed during the course of the watching brief.

WINCHESTER HOUSE SCHOOL, BRACKLEY
NGR SP 5859 3721
Desk based assessment and trial excavation
Northamptonshire Archaeology
An archaeological assessment was undertaken by NA at Winchester House School, Brackley in advance of the construction of new teaching facilities. Desk based research determined that the site is located in an area that contains the potential to retain archaeological evidence relating to the medieval settlement of Brackley. The excavation of two trial trenches tested this potential. A number of heavily truncated features of medieval date were identified. Post-medieval features included the remains of structures that had stood in the south-eastern part of the site and the foundations of a demolished boundary wall that had fossilised the line of former medieval tenement boundaries.

HARLESTONE QUARRY EXTENSION
NGR SP 708 635
Reconnaissance survey and fieldwalking survey
Northamptonshire Archaeology
A reconnaissance survey an fieldwalking survey were carried out in advance of a proposed extension to the north and west of the existing quarry at Harlestone (Areas B and C) within three fields of approximately 22 hectares. The reconnaissance survey produced a small amount of isolated anomalies consistent with modern ground disturbance. The fieldwalking recovered light scatters of artefacts from across the entire area comprising flint and medieval pottery, the latter probably deriving from episodic manuring.