archaeological written scheme of investigation · the skeletal remains were thought to be of early...

Planning � HeritageSpecialist & Independent Advisors to the Property Industry

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION

STRUMPSHAW ROAD BRUNDALL NORFOLK

January 2014

alell

20140038

Planning Authority:

Broadland District Council

Site centred at:

TG 333 079

Author:

Chris Clarke BSc (Hons) MA AIfA

Approved by:

Paul Chadwick BA FSA MIfA

Report Status:

Final

Issue Date:

January 2014

CgMs Ref:

PC/13353

© CgMs Limited

No part of this report is to be copied in any way

without prior written consent.

Every effort is made to provide detailed and accurate

information, however, CgMs Limited cannot be held

responsible for errors or inaccuracies within this report.

© Ordnance Survey maps reproduced with the

sanction of the controller of HM Stationery Office. Licence No: AL 100014723

Written Scheme of Investigation Strumpshaw Road, Brundall, Norfolk

CgMs Consulting PC/13353

CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Geology and Topography

3.0 Historical and Archaeological Background

4.0 Geophysical Survey

5.0 Objectives and Rationale of the Geophysical Survey

6.0 Geophysical Survey – Detailed Specification

Sources Consulted

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1 Site Location and Data from the Norfolk HER

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Method Statement for geophysical survey



1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Outline planning permission (Ref 20120167) has been granted for development of land

at Vauxhall Mallards and land to the rear of Hillside, Strumpshaw Road, Brundall,

Norfolk (Fig 1).

1.1.1 The planning permission contains a condition relating to archaeology which states:

1.1.2 This document presents the ‘first written scheme of investigation’ detailing the

programme of archaeological evaluation required by Condition 9 (a) and which,

following discussions with the planning authority’s archaeological advisor, comprises a

geophysical (magnetometer) survey of the proposed development site.

1.2 This Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) provides the geological, topographical,

archaeological and historical background to the site (summarised in Sections 2 and 3

below). The archaeological potential of the site is relatively limited, but in part derives

from the presence of a Roman cemetery and settlement excavated some distance to

the north-west of the proposed development.

1.3 This WSI has been prepared in accordance with all relevant guidelines, including those

set down by the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA) and Norfolk County Council (NCC),

to which the geophysical survey will adhere (see Sources Consulted).

1.4 Following completion of the geophysical survey the report detailing the results will, in

accordance with the requirements of Condition 9(b), be submitted to the LPA and their

archaeological advisor. Dependant upon the results of the geophysical survey, further

work may be required to comply with Condition 9(c) and this will, if appropriate, be

detailed in a Supplementary WSI.



2.0 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY

2.1 The British Geological Survey Sheet 52N 00 (1:250000 East Anglia: 1991) shows the

underlying geology of the study site to be the London Clay.

2.2 However, archaeological fieldwork at Station New Road (to the west of the site)

revealed a mid-brown orange to light yellow sand with occasional lenses containing

small rounded pebbles (AS 2003).

2.3 Topographically, levels along Strumpshaw Road grade down from 13m Above

Ordnance Datum (AOD) to the north-west of Hillside, down to 7m AOD to the south-

east of the site. Similarly, levels within the site grade down in a long gentle slope from

c 10m AOD along the Strumpshaw Road frontage to c5m AOD along the southern site

boundary.

2.4 The eastern part of the site comprises a cricket pitch which lies on a gentle south-

facing slope and the western part comprises part of the rear garden of Hillside which

has in places been terraced for a tennis court.

2.5 The River Yare which is tidal in this stretch lies approximately 500m to the south-west.



3.0 HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Prehistoric

3.1 Neolithic flint flakes and scrapers were found on the north side of Strumpshaw Road in

1949, to the immediate east of the site (MNF10223).

3.2 Part of a Neolithic chipped flint axehead was found in 1953 in a garden some distance

to the south-east of the site (MNF10224).

3.3 A prehistoric flint flake which had been polished into a cutting edge on one side with

secondary working on the other edge was recovered in 1970 to the east of the site

(MNF10236).

Roman

3.4 A human skeleton was found on land to the south of Station New Road during the

construction of a tennis court in 1932 (MNF10232). The skeleton was lying north to

south with an iron javelin at the feet and an iron knife at the waist. The skeleton was

recovered along with burnt stones, wattle and daub, lava and coarse Roman pottery

including a jug, rim, mortar and jar. Castor Ware was also collected. The skeletal

remains were thought to be of Early Saxon date and it was interpreted as an Early

Saxon burial on a Roman site (MNF10232).

3.5 A trial trench evaluation undertaken in 2003 on land adjacent to 13 Station New Road

revealed a possible Roman ditch and an undated burial along with additional

disarticulated human bone suggesting the presence of further disturbed inhumation

burials (MNF43562). The ditch contained a single sherd of Romano-British pottery. The

burial was of an adult, aligned north-west to south-east and the skull was lying on the

left side facing north-east. The burial was left in-situ. There were some sparse, highly

abraded sherds of Romano-British pottery recovered in association with the burial (AS

2003).

3.6 A Roman cemetery has been excavated on land at Station New Road to the west of

the site, in 2011, which has also revealed evidence for Roman settlement. Further

details of the excavation are yet to be published.



Anglo-Saxon and Medieval

3.7 A human skeleton was found on land to the south of Station New Road to the north-

west of the site found during the construction of a tennis court in 1932 (MNF10232).

The skeletal remains were thought to be of Early Saxon date and it was interpreted as

an Early Saxon burial on a Roman site (MNF10232).

3.8 Cremated remains of possible Anglo-Saxon date were found during the demolition of

St Clements Chapel in 1820, to the north-west of the site (MNF10231). An urn

containing ashes was recovered along with sherds of Early Saxon and Roman pottery.

3.9 A fragment of Medieval pottery was recovered in 1963 during the excavation of a

trench to the south-east of the site (MNF10235).

Post- Medieval and Modern

3.10 The Bryant map of 1826 shows that Brundall stood in a rural, agricultural landscape

with a small number of dispersed buildings. Wet Marsh is marked on the flood plain to

the west of the site.

3.11 The Brundall Tithe map, dated 1838 shows the site within five fields, three of which

(Lower Five Acres, Upper Five Acres and The Shores) were in arable and two (March

Two Acres and Ozier Ground) were in pasture. Buildings are marked some distance to

the north-west of the site.

3.12 The Ordnance Survey map of 1882 shows the site occupying parts of two fields. Since

1838, the field boundaries have changed on the site and on the surrounding land, and

only two field boundaries are now shown with the site. A line of trees is shown along

the field boundary running broadly north-east to south-west bisecting the site. A

footpath is shown running east to west in the southern part of the site.

3.13 The Ordnance Survey map dated 1907 shows further changes to the field boundaries

on the site and surrounding land. The footpath to the south of the site has been

moved to a new alignment along the southern site boundary. The land to the east of

the site had been developed and a row of terrace properties are marked with a

detached property. A building and a small outbuilding are marked to the north of the

site and a roadway is shown to the north-west.

3.14 The Ordnance Survey map of 1928 shows further changes to the field boundaries

within the site and an additional boundary is shown to the east. Additional



outbuildings are shown to the north of the site and in the western and eastern parts of

the site.

3.15 The Ordnance Survey map of 1972 shows further changes to the field boundaries. The

outbuildings previously shown have been demolished, but a new outbuilding is shown

in the north-west corner of the site.

3.16 The Ordnance Survey map 1994 shows further removal of boundaries. The rear

garden of 20 Strumpshaw Road to the east of the site is smaller creating a larger plot

of land to the east of the site, now marked as a Cricket Pitch. An earlier building had

been demolished and a cricket pavilion constructed. An existing building had been

extended and another new building erected.



4.0 GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY

4.1 A geophysical survey in accordance with the Method Statement at Appendix 1 has

been prepared following discussions with the Norfolk County Council Archaeological

Officer.

4.2 The survey is envisaged to take up to two working days to complete, after which a

report will be prepared and submitted to the LPA and their archaeological advisor.



5.0 OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALE OF THE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY

5.1 The survey will be undertaken to identify the presence/absence of any geophysical

anomalies that have the potential to represent below-ground archaeological features

or deposits.

5.2 The survey will provide sufficient information to, where appropriate, to inform further

archaeological investigation.



6.0 GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY – DETAILED SPECIFICATION

6.1 The overall objectives of this survey are set out in Section 5. This section details the

on site methodologies, report format and other related details and further information

is provided at Appendix 1.

Survey Techniques

6.2 The survey methodology (including report) will comply with guidelines set out in

English Heritage’s ‘Geophysical Survey in Archaeological Field Evaluation’ (English

Heritage 2008).

6.3 The survey will be undertaken using a gradiometer to identify areas of varying

magnetic susceptibility which allowing identification of survey anomalies of potential

archaeological interest.

6.4 A survey grid will be established and a 1m x 0.25m sample interval adopted.

Access

6.5 Reasonable access to the site will be made available for representatives of the Local

Planning Authority and their archaeological advisor to monitor the implementation of

the geophysical survey.

Reports and Archives

6.6 An archive of the fieldwork results would be compiled in accordance with the

guidelines of Appendix 3 of the English Heritage procedural document, Management of

Archaeological Projects 2 (1991).

6.7 The results will be analysed and presented in a final report as hard copy and digital

(CD) formats. The digital copy will include graphic images, including highlighted

anomalies, superimposed on CAD/GIS map bases (OS) at an appropriate scale, e.g.

1:500, 1:1000 or 1:1250.

6.8 Following completion of the fieldwork, printed plots of the geophysical data will be

produced using appropriate software, for instance TerraSurveyor. The plots will be

processed and enhanced where necessary using filtering techniques. The analysis of



the results will take place after the survey has been completed, and a full report

completed within fourteen working days following the completion of the fieldwork.

Archaeological Contractor

6.9 The field team deployed by the Archaeological Contractor will include only full time

professional archaeological staff. All staff should be experienced on similar sites.



SOURCES CONSULTED

National Guidance:

Department of Communities and Local Government National Planning Policy Framework 2012

Department of Communities and Local Government/Department of Culture Media and

Sport/English Heritage PPS5 Planning for the Historic Environment: Historic Environment

Planning Practice Guide 2010

English Heritage Comparison of PPS5 Policies with Historic Environment-Related Policies in the

NPPF – Part 1 5 April 2012 unpublished document

English Heritage Comparison of PPS5 Policies with Historic Environment-Related Policies in the

NPPF – Part 2 5 April 2012 unpublished document

Institute for Archaeologists Guidelines:

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/code_conduct.pdf

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/ifa_code_practice.pdf

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/IfASG-Geophysics.pdf

Regional Guidelines:

Gurney, D. Standards for Field Archaeology in the East of England East Anglian Archaeology

Occasional Paper No.14 2003

English Heritage Guidelines:

MAP2 Management of Archaeological Projects (Second Edition) 1991

MoRPHE Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment The MoRPHE Project

Managers’ Guide 2009

MoRPHE Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment PPN 3: Archaeological

Excavation January 2008

Geophysical Survey in Archaeological Field Evaluation. London, English Heritage: Research &

Professional Guidelines No.1. 2008

Site Specific

Archaeological Solutions Land Adjacent to 13 Station New Road, Brundall, Norfolk 2003

unpublished report

CgMs Consulting Archaeological Desk Based Assessment, Stumpshaw Road, Brundall, Norfolk

2012 unpublished report

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/code_conduct.pdf

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/ifa_code_practice.pdf

http://www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/node-files/IfASG-Geophysics.pdf



Appendix 1: Method Statement for geophysical survey

Stumpshaw Road, Brundall, Norfolk Geophysical Survey WSI

Northamptonshire Archaeology 2013

ARCHAEOLOGICAL GEOPHYSICAL EVALUATION

STRUMPSHAW ROAD, BRUNDALL, NORFOLK

WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION

SITE NAME: Strumpshaw Road, Brundall, Norfolk NATIONAL GRID REF: TG 333 079 CLIENT: CgMs Consulting DATE: 19 December 2013 CONTRACTOR: Northamptonshire Archaeology

2 Bolton House Wootton Hall Park Northampton, NN4 8BE

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Northamptonshire Archaeology (NA) has been commissioned by CgMs Consulting to

carry out detailed geophysical survey to inform a planning application for residential

development on land at Strumpshaw Road, Brundall, Norfolk (TG 333 079).

1.2 The site is located on the south-eastern edge of Brundall, which lies c 8km east of

Norwich city centre. The site comprises the Vauxhall Mallards Cricket Club and

adjacent land to the west, currently occupied by part of the rear garden of a private

residential property (Hillside). To the north-east the site is bounded by Strumpsahw

Road and to the south by a footpath. Residential development lies to the east and

west.

1.3 The underlying geology of the site is part of the London Clay Formation including the

Harwich member.

2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 A desk based assessment (DBA) of the application site was undertaken by CgMs in

2012 (Collings).

2.2 There is very limited evidence prehistoric activity of any period within the study area,

apart from a small number of worked flints.



2.3 A Roman cemetery has recently been investigated on land at Station new Road, c

210m to the west of the site. There is little detail about the site, but earlier evaluation

found an undated burial and disarticulated bone as well as a Roman ditch.

2.4 A further burial, which was excavated in 1932, was found with a significant number of

grave goods and was dated to the early Saxon period.

2.5 Possible Saxon cremations have also been found at St Clements Chapel to the

north-west of the site.

2.6 Only sparse medieval finds have been made within the study area, indicating that the

site probably lay beyond any area of settlement. Cartographic information indicates

that the site was made up of a number of fields from at least the early 19th century

with gradual boundary loss through the 19th and 20th centuries until the creation of

the cricket pitch in the late 20th century.

2.7 A low potential for Roman remains was identified.

3 STANDARDS AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 The geophysical survey fieldwork and reporting will conform to established English

Heritage and Institute for Archaeologists guidelines (EH 2008 and IfA 2011).

3.2 Detailed magnetometer survey has been specified as the prospection technique at

Strumpshaw Road, Brundall. This will be carried out utilising Bartington Instruments

Grad 601-2 fluxgate magnetic gradiometers. The Grad 601-2 is constructed as a

dual-sensor instrument with two vertical gradiometers separated on a yoke to enable

two lines of survey to be recorded in tandem. Survey will record data on a contiguous

30m x 30m grid system across each area, taking readings at 0.25m intervals along

traverses at 1.0m separations. Areas previously subject to detailed magnetometer

prospection will not be re-surveyed.

3.3 Prospection will be by grid squares set out manually by tape measure and optical

square. All survey grids will be measured in to permanent, re-locatable landmarks

and also to the Ordnance Survey using Leica System 1200 dGPS (see EH 2008, 19).

Standard practice for geophysical fieldwork in Norfolk indicates that one randomly

selected grid should be re-surveyed each day for quality assurance purposes.

4 REPORTING

4.1 Following the completion of the fieldwork, the data will be processed and analysed

utilising appropriate software (Geoscan Geoplot v.3.00v) and grey tone images

produced of both minimally and fully processed datasets. The latter will be geo-



rectified to Ordnance Survey base mapping and scale illustrations produced.

Minimally processed data will be included as scale illustrations.

4.2 As is typical with archaeological prospection, data interpretation will be performed in

a qualitative manner based on the standards of the profession and the experience of

the interpreter. The data plots will be accompanied by interpretative diagrams and a

technical report on the survey. The report will include the background, methodology,

results and interpretation.

4.3 The report will be lodged with Norfolk HER as two bound copies and one digital pdf

file on CD. Raw and processed magnetic data and GIS-based relocation files will be

archived with the NA archive.

4 KEY PERSONNEL

4.1 Northamptonshire Archaeology is an IfA registered organisation (No.48), under the

overall management of Steve Parry MA FSA MIfA, Principal Archaeologist.

4.2 The project will be carried out under the management of Mark Holmes BA MA MIfA.

The fieldwork will be directed by one of Northamptonshire Archaeology’s team of

Project Supervisors specialising in geophysical surveys, with the remainder drawn from

the team of experienced project assistants.

REFERENCES

Collings, M, 2012 Archaeological desk-based assessment: Strumpshaw Road,

Brundall, Norfolk

EH 2008 Geophysical Survey in Archaeological Field Evaluation, English Heritage IfA 2011 The Use of Geophysical Techniques in Archaeological Evaluations, Institute for Archaeologists

Northamptonshire Archaeology 19/12/2013

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

XW

!(

XW

MNF13572

MNF13571

MNF43562

MNF55531

MNF15582

MNF20958

MNF17359

MNF15320

MNF10236MNF10235

MNF10232MNF10231

MNF10224

MNF10223

KeySite Boundary

NHER pointXWBuilding!( Find Spot!( Monument

NHER lineNHER region

±Project title:

G:\Project Graphics\Active Jobs\13000-13999\13353 - Station New Rd, Brundall\Figures

Station New Road, Brundall

0 150m

Date printed:09/01/2014

Drawn by:

Checked by:

CB

PRC

Figure 1: Site Location and Data from Norfolk HER

Additional information -

Scale at A4 - 1:8,000

LondonCheltenhamKetteringNewarkBirminghamwww.cgms.co.uk

Planning & DevelopmentArchaeology & Historic Buildings

www.cgms.co.uk

archaeological written scheme of investigation · the skeletal remains were thought to be of early...

Documents