A total of 27 sites were examined in 19 parishes. A total of 7 commercial firms produced
the reports; however 16 of these reports were prepared by SWARCH, with only 3 by
AC Archaeology, 2 by Thames Valley Archaeological Services, MFR Steinmetzer (Oakford
Archaeology) and Martin Watts and one each by Context one Archaeological Services
and ArchaeoPhysica Ltd. 7 of the reports were related to wind turbine proposals,
2 to anaerobic digesters and one each to a biomass boiler and a solar park; renewal
energy proposals thus dominated the developments that prompted the commissioning
of the reports. 2 developments were not prompted by development proposals, one of
which was an educational exercise at a Barnstaple Primary School.
1. Atherington: Umberleigh Barton Farm
This report of a watching brief of the trench for pipework for a proposed biomass
boiler was carried out as a requirement of planning permission in view of the status
of the site. It is a grade 1 listed building that includes the remains of a 13th
century chapel. However the route of the pipeline mainly cut through modern make
up layers over natural geology. One robber trench may have been part of the mediaeval
chapel complex or a post-mediaeval wall. There were no significant finds.
2. Barnstaple: 17 Castle Street
This report into the monitoring of minor works to a nineteenth century listed building
near the Castle Mound revealed nothing of archaeological interest.
3. Barnstaple: Castle Mound
This report into minor works on the Norman motte and bailey of the Castle Mound identified
no archaeological features as a result of a watching brief.
4. Barnstaple: Rose & Crown, Newport
This is a report of a desk based study and historic building assessment of the former
Rose and Crown public house. It identifies the main building as 16th/17th century
with surviving roof timbers with important historical features, including jointed
cruck trusses and curved blades in keeping with late mediaeval/early post-mediaeval
rural houses. The building forms part of a group of 16th/17th century building grouped
around the mediaeval market place in the former borough of Newport. The report identifies
the phases of development of the public house.
5. Braunton: Winsham Cross
This report of a historic visual impact assessment of two proposed wind turbines
concluded that the overall impact could be assessed at negative/minor to negative/moderate.
Winsham is an early mediaeval hamlet and the site of the proposed turbines lies within
a former mediaeval field system. The impact on some of the nearby heritage assets,
particularly listed buildings, is negative/moderate to negative/substantial, but
there are only a small number of these. The wider impact on the historic landscape
is considered to be negative/moderate. There is no doubt that the visual impact might
have been considered to be more severe but for the impact of the much larger Fullabrook
wind farm nearby. However, the proposal would have a cumulative impact as a result
of this larger existing development.
6. Brayford: Mockham Down Farm
These two reports were produced at separate stages of the proposed development of
three holiday lodges in the close vicinity of the scheduled Iron Age defended enclosure
at Mockham Down Camp. The first, a heritage impact assessment, describes the context
of the site and the scheduled monument. Mockham Down Camp is a univallate defended
enclosure in an elevated location. It is largely surrounded by trees and views are
limited. The farm is modern and lies immediately adjacent to the northern boundary
of the Camp. One of the three proposed lodges had already been built at the time
of the assessment and retrospective planning permission was sought for it. The report
concluded that the impact of the existing and proposed structures on the immediate
setting of the monument was negative/moderate.
The second report was of monitoring and recording undertaken prior to the construction
of the two new lodges. Unfortunately some groundworks had already taken place at
the time of monitoring; no archaeological features or deposits were discovered at
the site.
7. Chittlehampton: St Hieritha’s Church
This is a record of a watching brief undertaken during works to install a toilet
in the church tower and carry out drainage works to connect it to the water supply
and main sewer. The trench showed no evidence of archaeological features, but the
back-filled soil, interpreted as charnel soil, included several finds, the most significant
of which were fragments of 15th to early 16th century floor tile of a period and
type previously unknown at the church.
8. Chulmleigh: Beara Farm
This is another historic visual impact assessment related to a proposed wind turbine.
Beara Farm lies to the north-east of the village of Chulmleigh and is a Grade 11
listed farmstead. There are a few other mediaeval farmsteads in the area and a scatter
of pre-historic barrows, mainly on Horridge Down. The report follows the usual format,
with a thorough examination of the potential impact on the heritage assets within
the zone of visual influence (ZVI). The report gives a description of all these historic
sites and would be valuable for that alone. It concludes that the overall impact
of the wind turbine would be negative/minor to negative/moderate, with a more serious
impact on Beara Farmhouse and the group of barrows on Horridge Moor.
9. Combe Martin: Ash Bank, Corner Lane
This is a report of the monitoring of excavations carried out prior to construction
of a dwelling. The site lies within a relatively recently developed part of Combe
martin. The excavation revealed re-deposited material, probably from nearby mine
workings, but no archaeological features. Finds were mainly 19th and 20th century
pottery sherds, which were not retained.
10. Fremington: Collacott Farm
This report describes a desk-based assessment and monitoring and recording of the
construction of a single wind turbine. The wider area has a number of historic and
archaeological features that suggested that the site had potential. The mediaeval
field boundaries shown on the 1840 tithe map of the site area were all removed in
the late 20th century. The only features discovered during excavation were ditches
associated with these boundaries and the few finds consisted of sherds, mainly post-mediaeval
and modern, and a single flint flake. There was not enough mediaeval or earlier material
to suggest anything other than agricultural activity on the site.
11. Fremington: Collacott Solar Park
This is a report of a magnetic survey of four fields to the west of Collacott Farm.
They identify a series of anomalies that are mainly interpreted as post-mediaeval
field systems. One or two curvilinear anomalies are identified as of potential archaeological
interest.
12. Fremington: Former Army Camp
This report into the archaeological trench evaluation and historic building survey
was prompted by the imminent development of the former Army Camp for 277 houses and
associated community facilities. This large site lies adjacent to the Parish Church
which the report describes as “a minster church, possibly located on a much earlier
ecclesiastical site including a church and manor house complex.” However the fields
were apparently entirely in agricultural use before the American Army hospital was
built during the Second World War. As a result the excavation yielded very few features,
other than former field boundaries, and the finds included iron nails, post-mediaeval
pottery and other ceramic-based material, glass, animal bone and 2 worked flints.
As a result of the building survey the uniformity and distinctiveness of the Second
World War buildings has been preserved through the record; two of them are to be
retained and converted for community purposes in the development.
13. Fremington: Sticklepath Primary School
This is an account of a test pit dug as an educational activity in the grounds of
the Primary School. The school site lies within a field that was formerly part of
the open field system associated with Bickington. A few finds were recovered, including
a sherd of post-mediaeval gravel-tempered pottery, a sherd of an 18th century North
Devon glazed jug, two clay pipe stems and a piece of clear glass. The finds were
retained by the school.
14. Georgeham: Heddon Mill
Heddon Mill is probably a late 18th century water mill that was substantially rebuilt
in the early 19th century. The mill was almost completely gutted of its waterwheel
and machinery when it ceased working by the mid-20th century. Further alterations
to the building have taken place since then.
15. Goodleigh: Trude Farm
This the report of a HVIA of a proposed single wind turbine on the Goodleigh Conservation
Area, including the Grade II* St Gregory’s parish church and a group of nine Grade
II listed buildings. It concludes that the presence of a new, modern and visually
intrusive vertical element in the landscape would impinge in some way, primarily
on views of the Conservation Area, and have a more pronounced impact on the Grade
II* Listed church.
16. Instow: St John’s Church
This report describes monitoring and recording that took place during the replacement
of the floor of the south transept of the church. Below the previous 19th century
wooden floor, the bones of 8 individuals were discovered in two groups, in a space
between the rough stone walls of two adjacent graves. The bones were disarticulated
and appear to have been re-deposited in two groups in the space between two later
graves; they were retained by the church for re-burial. No dateable finds were discovered.
17. Kingsnympton: Cawsey Meethe Mill
The owner of the Mill commissioned this historic building survey to record the historic
fabric and working parts. The mill is sited on the flood plain of the Rivers Mole
and Bray close to their junction. It appears to be 18th century in origin and is
associated with Cawsey Meethe Farm nearby. The building comprises two sections, of
different dates, joined by a roof that was added later, and contains the remnants
of two undershot mill wheels either side of a central spillway, fed by a leat from
the Mole. The mill appears to have been run as part of the farm, rather than as a
separate enterprise, as further evidenced by its relatively small size. The report
traces the history of the building, from written records and from the building survey
evidence. It was only listed in 1988 and has featured in two surveys of mills in
the area, in 1974 and 1994. It has deteriorated further since then. The mill is effectively
two mills under one roof, the northern mill having been built first in the late 18th
century and rebuilt in 1796 and the southern mill in the early 19th century. The
mill appears to have been modernised in the mid-19th century, when the two mills
were brought under one roof. It is considered to be an outstanding and remarkable
survival of small traditional water-powered corn mill, in particular for its remaining
timber waterwheels and machinery.
18. Landkey: Birch Road
This is the report of a desk-based assessment and geophysics survey of three fields
to the north-east of Landkey Newland. Both the map regression and the survey indicate
the presence of a post-mediaeval field system but little else that is likely to be
of archaeological interest.
19. Marwood: Collacott Farm
Evaluation trenching was undertaken in the field immediately to the east of the farmhouse,
since it was to be the site of an anaerobic digester. Collacott is first mentioned
in the 14th century and there was considered to be archaeological potential at the
site. In the event, the features revealed were all field drains or service trenches
and there we no finds were fragments of land drains.
20. North Molton: Oakford Villas
A field on the west side of the village was evaluated with three 50m long trenches,
before the development of light industrial units. Three standing stones are situated
in a field to the west and North Molton was noted from at least Domesday Book as
a centre for mining, principally for copper and lead, until the end of the 19th century.
The excavation revealed linear features that were the remains of known field boundaries,
consistent with the cartographic evidence of post-mediaeval enclosure of the open
field system. Some field boundaries were then removed in the late 19th century. A
small amount of mediaeval pottery sherds were recovered, indicating agricultural
use of the site in the mediaeval period. The presence of slag associated with kiln
furniture across the site indicates that the boundary ditches were still extant in
the 19th century.
21. North Molton: Back Lane
This report summarises the ownership of land at North Molton and, in particular,
of the field the subject of the investigation, which lies to the south-west of the
parish church and Court House. Given the location of the site, subsequent regression
mapping evidence and the features found in the excavation trenches, it is likely
that the site was part of the open field system of the village, subsequently enclosed
and possibly occupied by the garden plots of later cottages that have been demolished.
Finds include mediaeval and post-pottery sherds and, significantly, iron slag and
waste indicative of on-site iron working. This is regarded as significant confirmation
of the long continuity of iron working in the village, which is recorded in Domesday
Book and known from the 19th century.
22. South Molton: Great Hele Barton
Evaluation of a field immediately adjacent to Great Hele Barton was carried out following
the results of a geophysical survey and prior to the submission of a planning application
for an anaerobic digester. The area is known to have archaeological potential. The
results of the trenches that were evaluated indicated two groups of features: field
boundaries that were probably mediaeval and a rectangular enclosure that also appeared
to be mediaeval in date. Finds were almost exclusively of pottery sherds of 12th
to 14th century date, comprising North Devon coarseware. There was a single sherd
of mediaeval Ham Green ware and a single struck flint.
23. South Molton: Pathfields Business Park
The desk-based assessment and archaeological evaluation of this site took place in
advance of the extension of the existing Business Park in a northerly direction,
up to the A361 North Devon Link Road. The former was a map regression based on 19th
century maps. It revealed a series of former field boundaries dating, in one case
from the mediaeval strip field system, with later field boundary revisions. The trench
evaluation was designed to test this assessment. The evaluation confirmed the cartographic
and aerial photographic evidence for field boundaries from the residual mediaeval
strip field system through to the modern period, although little dating evidence
was found. The earliest finds, of late mediaeval and 17th – 18th century sherds,
were associated with the earliest of the curved mediaeval strip field boundaries
that remained extant into the 19th century and was still visible on the 20th century
aerial photograph.
24. Tawstock: Hollamoor Farm
A desk-based assessment, walkover and historic visual impact assessment was made
of three proposed wind turbines on a ridge north of Hollamoor Farm. The assessment
recorded the long association of the farm with Tawstock Court and its owners (it
remains in the ownership of the Wrey family). The archaeological potential of the
site is low as the fields were taken in from open grazing in the mediaeval or post-mediaeval
period. However the visual impact on heritage assets is considered to be negative/moderate
in some cases, primarily due to its impact on the former Tawstock Park and village
and, across the Taw, in and around Bishops Tawton, including Codden Hill, but also
important historic sites on the riverfront in the centre of Barnstaple. This report
is valuable in highlighting the lack of recognition of the 19th century Tawstock
Park, which itself may include remains of the earlier park associated with the Elizabethan
house which was replied by the current Tawstock Court.
25. West Down: Mullacott Cross (1)
A watching brief was carried out during test pits being dug for the foundations of
new industrial units. No archaeological features, deposits or finds were present
in the test pits.
26. West Down: Mullacott Cross (2)
A watching brief was carried out during test pits being done for the construction
of a wind turbine. No archaeological features, deposits or finds were present.
27. Westleigh: Eastleigh Barton
This report presents the results of geophysical and walkover surveys and a historic
visual impact assessment as part of a planning application for a single wind turbine.
The surveys failed to reveal anything of archaeological interest, even though the
filed lies within a suggested early-mediaeval enclosure. However the HVIA outlines
the history of Eastleigh Barton and provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact
of the proposed wind turbine on heritage assets in the vicinity. The overall impact
was assessed as negative/moderate and the impact on Eastleigh Manor and its associated
historic outbuildings was assessed as negative/substantial, expressing the view that
the asset group at Eastleigh would be harshly impacted by the proposed turbine.
Discussion
These 25 reports from 2014 (and 2 that were posted on the ADS website in 2015) are,
in overall terms, rather disappointing in their findings. Very little archaeology
was revealed in most of them, although the HVIA’s did at least provide opportunities
for comprehensive assessments of heritage assets in each area where wind turbines
were proposed. The most interesting and revealing reports were those on Cawsey Meethe
Mill, a rare small double mill worthy of preservation, at Great Hele Barton, where
further work on the potential mediaeval enclosure revealed by the excavation might
be productive (if planning permission for the anaerobic digester is granted) and
at North Molton where the history of iron working is indicated by two of the reports.
8th December 2015
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