Thus some 24 sites (two sites had two separate reports) were examined in 15 parishes.
A total of 3 commercial organisations were involved, with South West Archaeology
producing 16 reports, AC Archaeology producing 9 reports and Thames Valley Archaeological
Services producing a single report. Unlike 2013, when half of the proposed developments
were for wind turbines, only a fifth of 2014’ reports were for wind turbines and
the most common forms of development generating reports in 2014 were small scale
extensions and refurbishments of historic buildings.
Reports
1. Abbotsham: Cornborough
The report covered monitoring on site whilst a farm building was being erected. The
site lies about 2km N of Abbotsham village. In the general area, various Mesolithic
artefacts and flints had previously been found. Over one hundred fragments of medieval
and post-medieval pottery were found in the plough soil and about 30 lithic artefacts
were also recovered. All were probably washed down slope from a presumed prehistoric
settlement site nearby. However, none showed sufficient diagnostic character to
allow dating. The medieval pottery was gravel tempered and non-gravel tempered coarse-ware,
as were the pieces of sixteenth century pottery, some of these having a green glaze.
2. Alverdiscott: Kingdon Cottage
The report covered monitoring of the site as a residential extension was constructed.
The site lies about 3km W of Alverdiscott church. During excavation for the building,
a single feature was exposed, a ditch running north-south through the site. This
corresponded to a field boundary on the Tithe Map. No materials were found in the
ditch and it remains undated.
3. Alwington: Portledge House
The report deals with three trial trenches excavated ahead of construction of a swimming
pool at Portledge House, which lies some 3 km NW of Alwington church and approximately
1 km from the coast. The trenches yielded 30 pieces of pottery, all post-medieval
and modern. A nearly complete South Somerset coarse-ware flanged bowl and a shard
of North Devon gravel tempered ware were the only pieces not of nineteenth century
origin. Two clay pipe fragments were found, both believed to be late eighteenth
or early nineteenth century.
4. Alwington: Town Farm, Alwington Town
The report concerns a watching brief at Town Farm, Alwington (and not at Fairy Cross
as the report implies). The site is adjacent to St Andrew’ church but no artefacts
and no archaeological structures were found.
5. Bideford: 31 Bridgeland Street
The report is an historic building assessment of the property ahead of its general
refurbishment. The history of Bridgeland Street is well-known and it is rightly
regarded as one of the finest pieces of townscape in northern Devon. A plan of 1745
shows the property. The property was one of the substantial houses built by merchants
in the years immediately after 1690. The present façade has an eighteenth century
front door, nineteenth century windows and a twentieth century shop-front. The interior
show more of the historic character of the building with an impressive staircase
and rooms at first floor level with late seventeenth century plaster work on the
ceilings. The building was given a make-over in the nineteenth century. Refurbishment
to meet contemporary needs yet maintain its historic character was not thought to
be particularly difficult to achieve.
6. Bideford: Littlebrook, Mines Road, East-the-Water
The report concerns archaeological monitoring and recording at Littlebrook, Mines
Road, East-the-Water. The site is south of Manteo Way and about 1 km E of the end
of Bideford Long Bridge. The Devon Historic Landscape Characterisation had identified
the area as one with medieval enclosures and some of the hedgerows around the site
were survivors of this phase of landscape development. During the nineteenth century,
the area was a focus for the production of Bideford black, a pigment made using powdered
anthracite and a seam of this deposit was identified in the centre of the site. From
the top-soil came fragments of pottery and glass, almost all post-medieval and modern,
although a shard of medieval North Devon gravel tempered ware was recovered.
7. Bideford: Nuttaberry, East-the-Water
The report concerns monitoring and recording at the Jamestan Engineering works site
on Kynochs Industrial Estate, at Nutaberry, East-the-Water. The report does not
mention the modern origins of the Kynochs site as a First World War armaments factory.
Much of the site appeared to have been re-contoured and none of the finds had stratified
contexts. Previously, fragments of eighteenth century sgraffito ware had been found
on site and further fragments were recovered in this evaluation. Also found were
shards of post-medieval North Devon gravel-tempered ware and non-tempered ware. Fragments
of saggers and wasters were also found, suggesting that some of the waste deposited
on site had come from a kiln dump. The site lies some 750 metres S of known pottery
kilns in Torrington Lane, East-the-Water.
8. Bideford: Tanton’ Hotel, and Hampton Terrace.
Two reports were produced for this complex site, a desk-based appraisal of Tanton’
Hotel and a historic building assessment of the original hotel and its subsequent
annexes in Hampton Terrace. The site lies a few tens of metres south of the western
end of Bideford Long Bridge and could be regarded as an important part of one of
the iconic vistas of Bideford and its Long Bridge. The desk-based study assembled
a cartographic and illustrative archive starting in 1717, with a map showing buildings
on the present site. Two buildings occupy the site on the 1841 Tithe Map. By the
time of the first edition OS large scale plan of 1888, the site appears to have taken
on most of its present characteristics. The first known photograph dates from 1863
and shows most of the present building as Chester’ Commercial and Family Hotel. A
picture taken not long after the widening of Bideford Long Bridge in 1864, shows
the building now as Tanton’ Hotel and the central bay appears to have been emplaced
during the late nineteenth century. The cartographic and documentary record establishes
that the present complex originated as a series of nineteenth century structures,
subsequently amalgamated.
The building has lain derelict following a major fire and its historic buildings
assessments form part of the process of considering plans for its redevelopment.
The building assessment shows how the present structure emerged from various piecemeal
alterations and amalgamations in the nineteenth century and how some further changes
were made to the interior in the twentieth century. Two bays of the present main
building are of three stories, similar to the 1863 photograph of Chester’ Hotel,
but the central bay is of four stories and has one of Bideford’ prominent landmarks
at first floor level above the principal entrance. This is a ship’ figurehead. Hampton
Terrace and Riverside Flats, the annexes to Tanton’ Hotel are also of nineteenth
century origin, although less impressive than the main building.
10. Bideford: Winsford Park
The report concerns 15 evaluation trenches dug on 49 hectares of land at Winsford,
on the present edge of the built-up area of Bideford, with the site extending as
far as the A39 and thus including a few hundred square metres lying within Abbotsham
parish. Further residential development is proposed for the site. Three of the
trenches yielded no archaeology but the site as a whole proved to have a long and
complex history of occupancy. Trenches 1 and 2 exposed post holes, pits and curving
gullies and, on the basis of two scrappy sherds of Early to Middle Iron Age pottery,
are thought to be evidence of settlement of this period. Numerous ditches on different
alignments to the present field system were found and again presumed to be the field
system associated with the Iron Age settlement. While Iron Age and earlier field
systems with a rectilinear patter are known, especially from Dartmoor, there are
few instances of them being found in lowland Northern Devon. The other trenches
yielded sherds of predominantly post-Medieval pottery, although two sherds of North
Devon Medieval Coarse Ware were found. The post-Medieval pottery was both gravel-tempered
and gravel-free and principally from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Five
pieces of clay pipe were found but lacked sufficient evidence to allow precise dating,
although one bowl fragment has been provisionally dated to the late seventeenth or
early eighteenth century. Other earthworks were found and probably were associated
with the parkland that surrounded Moreton House to the east.
11 Buckland Brewer: Braddons Park
The report is a visual impact assessment of a proposed wind-turbine at Braddon’ Park,
some 2 km S of Buckland Brewer village. The report briefly notes that the Historic
Environment Record for the immediate vicinity of the proposed turbine contains very
little and even within a 5km radius there are not many recorded sites. Most of the
visual impacts have been rated as neutral or negative/minor. Four sites have negative/
moderate impact and like the proposed turbine, these all occupy hill-top locations.
12 Buckland Brewer: adjacent to Buckland Brewer Primary School
The report concerns an archaeological watching brief on a site adjacent to Buckland
Brewer Primary School ahead of a development to include a new village hall, associated
car-parking and housing. The site is on the southern edge of the village, about
500 metres SE of the church. Work observed included breaches to two hedge banks,
which were of typical Devon construction but containing nothing to indicate a date
and two small test trenches, excavated to see if the road leading to the village
from the SE had occupied a different alignment in the past. No features were exposed
and the inference that road patterns had remained constant was upheld.
13. Clovelly: Highworthy
The report concerns a visual impact assessment of a proposed wind turbine at Highworthy,
about 1.5 km NW of Woolfardisworthy and 3km S of Clovelly church. The report rather
misleadingly gives the location as Higher Clovelly, which lies more than 1 km away
to the north. There are few sites in the Historic Environment Record within the
sightline of the proposed turbine. The most important of these features is Clovelly
Dykes, but the report concludes that the undulating nature of the topography and
existing buildings means that the impact upon it of the turbine will be negative/minor.
14. Great Torrington: 25 South Street
The report is an historic building assessment ahead of refurbishment of the property
which lies in the historic heart of Great Torrington. The site first appears on
the Tithe Map of 1840 and it appears that the present building had not all been constructed
by this time. The OS map of 1888 suggests that the building had attained its present
form by this time. The core of the building appears to be mid-seventeenth century
but probable Victorian work has removed much of the original fabric and this Victorian
work in turn has also been much reduced by twentieth century modernisation.
15. Hartland: Seckington
The report concerns desk based study and archaeological monitoring at Seckngton Farm,
just south of the A39 and 4 km SE of Hartland village, ahead of construction of a
new dairy unit. The Historic Landscape Characterisation has Seckington in an area
of medieval enclosures based on strip fields and the Historic Environment Record
contains entries suggesting a deserted medieval settlement and a possible Roman site
both adjoining the site. Earlier work by South West Archaeology had included geophysical
survey and evaluation trenching. These had identified a probable medieval field
system, associated with the settlement, but no traces of the adjacent Roman fortlet.
In this round of study, two further small trenches were dug but they yielded no
archaeology, which is presumed to have been obliterated by past ploughing.
16. Holsworthy Hamlets: Biogas plant,Higher Manworthy, near Chilsworthy
The report was produced ahead of proposed erection of greenhouses at the site, some
2 km N of Holsworthy church and 1.5 km SSE of Chilsworthy. The brief was archaeological
monitoring and recording during construction work. Limited evaluation work by A
C Archaeology in the field immediately to the south of the site in 2011 had established
that there were shallow archaeological features present. An area within the current
development site but adjoining the presumed enclosure as shown by air photographs
was stripped of topsoil. No traces were found of this enclosure but plough marks
were clearly visible and may well have eradicated any evidence. A single struck
flint nodule with possible blade removals was found and presumed to be early Neolithic.
Nothing else was found.
17. Merton: Clarkes Lane report 1
The report concerns a desk-based assessment and archaeological monitoring and recording
of a site in Clarkes Lane, Merton as part of a small housing development. Clarkes
Lane lies at the southern edge of the village of Merton and leads down to Merton
Moor within the Marland Basin. The properties on the northern side of Clarkes Lane
adjoin the church yard. Field names at the time of the Tithe Survey suggest that
some of the site may possibly once have been a park associated with the manor house.
The Tithe Survey also pointed to the existence of a building in the middle of the
proposed development. The footprint of one of the houses revealed stone footings
and these may be presumed to be the structure recorded in the Tithe Survey. Some
shards of pottery of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were found in the top-soil.
A single shard of medieval gravel- tempered North Devon ware was also found.
18. Merton: Clarkes Lane report 2
The report is very much a companion to the first report on Clarkes Lane, although
not covering precisely the same area. Three trenches were cut for evaluation purposes
ahead of a planning application for small-scale residential development. Two of
the trenches yielded small quantities of medieval and post-medieval pottery, the
medieval material was coarse-ware from jars and the post-medieval material was gravel
tempered ware. Pits, linear features and post-holes were identified but dating could
not be attempted with any confidence. It was possible that a medieval timber structure
occupied some of the site.
19. Merton: Ashgrove House, Clarkes Lane
This report originated in a watching brief for a residential extension in the same
general location as reports 17 and 18 above. During work on the site, no archaeological
features were found.
20. Merton: Malt Scoop Inn
The report is an assessment of this listed building as part of its proposed internal
re-arrangement. The history of the present building seems to be that a former farmhouse
was converted into a coaching inn early in the nineteenth century. Much of interior
of the original farmhouse was lost in this conversion. In the course of the nineteenth
century various extensions were made on the north side.
21. Merton: land behind Malt Scoop Inn
The report concerned land to the north and north-west of the Malt Scoop Inn and about
200 metres north-west of the Clarkes Lane sites. Three evaluation trenches were
dug as part of site appraisal for a proposed small-scale residential development.
Preliminary geophysical survey had suggested some anomalies. The trenches yielded
no archaeology and confirmed that the geophysical anomalies were variations in the
local geology. Two sherds of post-medieval North Devon gravel-tempered ware were
found in the topsoil. It has to be concluded that settlement of Merton village never
occupied this site.
22. Milton Damerel: Town Farm
The report concerns five evaluation trenches at Town Farm, a few metres to the west
of the parish church. Milton Damerel is considered to be a settlement that has shrunk
in size since the medieval period and this site held the possibility for evidence
of the earlier, larger settlement. Three former hollow-ways were identified and
thought to have remained in use until perhaps the early nineteenth century. The
text of the report claims some 1,290 kg of pottery to have been found but the tabulation
later in the report confirms that this is 1,290 gm, with almost all of this being
post-medieval gravel-tempered and gravel-free ware of seventeenth or eighteenth century
date. Seven sherds of medieval North Devon coarse ware were found but all in post-medieval
contexts. No traces of the putative crofts of the medieval settlement were found.
23. Peters Marland: Alscott
The report concerns a watching brief during excavation of ground works in association
with a wind turbine at Alscott Farm, approximately 2.5 km south-west of Peters Marland
church. Immediately to the south of the site is a Bronze Age bowl barrow and crop
marks of two ring ditches. Previous geophysical survey had found features suggesting
a field system, perhaps of pre-medieval age. None of the trenches yielded anything
very conclusive, although one curved alignment did not conform to the outlines of
the current field system and was tentatively presumed to be much earlier.
24. Northam: 20 Fore Street
The report is a preliminary survey of the building and a function of the report was
to highlight potential areas for trial pits before parts of the site were redeveloped.
The building lies in the historic core of Northam, about 250 metres S of St Margaret’
church. Fore Street contains several grade 2 listed buildings. Although the site
contained a building in the Tithe Survey, the present structure appears to have been
erected sometime in the early twentieth century, although some of the stone work
on site dates from earlier periods. The report concludes that test pitting would
be worth undertaking in some parts of the site, but that much archaeology has probably
been destroyed by the piecemeal redevelopment of the site in the last century and
a half.
25. Northam: Northam Burrows
The report was prepared as part of a Higher Level Stewardship programme for Northam
Burrows. One aspect of this was to be significant scrub clearance, principally to
enhance the Burrow’ unique ecology. It was considered that some scrub clearance
could also serve to conserve the complex archaeology of the Burrows. The inter-tidal
zone on the western side is known to contain peat, a submerged forest and evidence
of Mesolithic and later occupancy. The Burrows proper contain no known archaeology
dating from before 1900. The report notes that the burrows were the setting for
a First World War airfield, but that no photographs or physical remains are known.
The archaeological interest of the Burrows lies in the complex of Second World War
features. Defences against a sea born and air born (glider) attack from c 1940-1941
survive with slit trenches and probable anti-tank defences. The area also was used
in training for the D-Day landings, although little hard evidence of this has survived.
The most obvious features from this period are those associated with RAF Northam
a radar station operational between 1941 and 1945. Bases for transmitter masts lie
within the survey area, although much of the rest of the infrastructure was located
further south. The report contains useful summary appendices cataloguing the defence
archaeology.
26. Weare Giffard: Cleave Farm
The report concerns a watching brief at Cleave Farm as part of preparatory works
for the installation of a wind turbine. The site lies in the SE corner of Weare
Giffard parish, about 1 km E of the main cluster of Weare Giffard village and almost
2 km E of Weare Giffard church. Air photographs show several undated circular enclosures
west of the site and it is probable that several of the surviving farms in the eastern
part of the parish were formerly parts of larger hamlets. Observations of the cable
trench and turbine footings yielded no archaeology.
Discussion
The HER contains relatively little on sites in Torridge and the grey literature for
2014 does not add a great deal. The evidence of probable Iron Age field systems
at Winsford on the western edge of Bideford is of significance in that there is little
evidence of rectilinear field systems at an angle to the modern field pattern, in
lowland Northern Devon. Much of the work was historic building recording and substantiates
the knowledge of Bideford’ prosperity in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The report on Northam Burrows records a subtle and easily overlooked archaeology
of Second World War defences and installations.
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