DBA – desk based assessment, HBS/A – historic building survey/assessment, HVIA
– historic visual impact assessment
A total of 16 sites were examined in 10 parishes. 7 commercial firms produced the
reports; 7 of these reports were prepared by SWARCH, with 4 by AC Archaeology, and
one each by Oakford, AB Heritage, Neo Environmental, Cotswold and Pre-construct.
4 of the reports were related to solar farm proposals, and one to a wind turbine;
renewal energy proposals thus dominated the developments that prompted the commissioning
of the reports.
1. Barnstaple: Brannam’s Medical Centre
This site formed part of the former Brannams Pottery that fronted Litchdon Street.
At the turn of the twentieth century the pottery was extended onto the garden land
to the rear. Subsequently Brannams Pottery relocated to Roundswell and the site was
redeveloped towards the end of the twentieth century for a medical centre. The buildings
fronting Litchdon Street and one of the bottle kilns were retained and restored as
part of that development. Recently planning permission was granted for a minor extension
to the medical centre. As part of the archaeological investigations a trial trench
was dug along the length of the proposed extension and to the depths of its footings.
Findings included 19th century pottery waste used a fill material prior to the building
of the factory extension. Part of the brick foundation wall of the factory was also
revealed. Finds also included pottery and kiln waste, primarily of 19th century date,
that had been used to level the site prior to the construction of the industrial
building.
2. Barnstaple: Castle Mound
The Castle Mound is a scheduled ancient monument and consists of the remains of a
Norman motte and bailey. Minor works were to be carried out, including the cutting
by hand of two footpaths, the rebuilding of two retaining walls and the repair of
an erosion scar. The work exposed the earthen core of the Mound, but no structural
features or dateable evidence were found.
3. Barnstaple: Paiges Lane
This site lies at the junction of Paiges Lane and Holland Street and comprises an
old cottage, garage and barn that are to be demolished and replaced with a retail
unit and six dwellings. The site lies in the historic core of the mediaeval settlement
of Barnstaple and is acknowledged in the desk-based assessment as having significant
archaeological potential. The report recommends a historic building record of the
existing cottage and archaeological investigation of the site as work proceeds.
4. Barnstaple: St Mary’s Church, Pilton
Excavations were carried out during repairs to the churchyard wall at St Mary’s.
The church was built on the site of a mediaeval priory and the graveyard is elevated
above the surrounding area. Despite the known antiquity of the site very little was
found: the finds are dominated by North Devon ceramics of a domesticated nature dating
from the post-mediaeval era, mainly from unstratified contexts. There were some later
ceramics and also some human and animal bone fragments.
5. Bishops Nympton: West Street
Two areas were excavated for groundworks for a proposed house on a site to the south
of the parish church. Two ditches, a gulley and a stone-lined drain were identified.
All were dated to the post-mediaeval period, the ditches forming the boundaries of
a garden plot. The drain and gulley are likely to have contemporary with the use
of the ditches.
6. Braunton: Luscott Barton
Six trenches were opened at Luscott Barton, in advance of the construction of a solar
farm. No archaeological features or finds were recorded.
7. Filleigh: Castle Hill Kennels
This evaluation was of the site of a former folly and kennels that was to be partly
reinstated. The folly was built in the early 18th century and demolished in the late
19th century, after which the site was used for housing and feeding cattle. The north
and east walls of the original structure stand up to 2.4m but no floor surfaces were
found.
8. Bommertown Farm, Molland
A watching brief was undertaken during ground works associated with the development
of a solar farm in fields in a remote location not far from the southern boundary
of Exmoor National Park. The archaeological features encountered comprised the remains
of four ditches and two postholes. Only one of these features had been identified
by earlier geophysical survey. Three worked flints were found, one of which was a
fragment of a broken blade with a possible late Mesolithic/early Neolithic date.
Three sherds of post-mediaeval pottery were also found. In the absence of further
information, no attempt was made to interpret the features that were noted.
9. Barton Close Farm, Georgeham
Monitoring and recording were carried out during groundworks associated with the
construction of a solar array. The site lies in a landscape of varied archaeological
remains. These include a scatter of over 300 Neolithic/Bronze Age flints less than
200m to the north, undated cropmark and earthwork features to the east and west,
and post mediaeval iron mines to the south. The site itself was part of a WWll training
camp.
Disappointingly, no features or finds were revealed during the groundworks and, as
a result, the intended excavations were not required.
10. Back Lane, North Molton
A desk based assessment and evaluation trenching were carried out on the site prior
to its residential development. The evaluation trenches revealed a relatively dense
concentration of slight archaeological features, which were considered to be mediaeval
in date. Iron slag was present at the site and included material diagnostic of smelting
and a deposit of concreted smelting waste in a large pit. This is considered to be
the first conclusive evidence of iron production in the settlement, although it had
long been associated with the industry.
11. Barton Pitts, North Molton
A trench evaluation was undertaken in advance of the construction of an agricultural
building. No features or finds were encountered in the four trenches.
12. Coxleigh Barton, Shirwell
A historic Visual impact Assessment was carried out for two proposed wind turbines
on a prominent site east of Barnstaple. The HVIA was notable for the number of significant
heritage assets within a 5km radius; this is mainly explained by the proximity of
the site to Barnstaple, which has a concentration of Grade 1 listed buildings and
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in and around the town. The HVIA at least provides a
valuable summary of these, although it concluded that in overall terms the wind turbines
would have a negligible or negative/minor impact on heritage assets. The exceptions
were the two closest historic sites, at Brightleycott farmhouse and bank barn where
the impact was assessed as negative/moderate, and Burridge Hill Fort where the impact
was negative/minor.
13. Old Alswear Road, South Molton
This site, a field on the southern edge of the town on which a rugby pitch is to
be created, was the subject of two reports, the first of a gradiometer survey and
the second of evaluation trenches dug to confirm archaeological features suggested
by the first. The outcome was interesting, both for what the trenches revealed and
for the fact that the trench results differed significantly from the gradiometer
survey results.
Two features of significance were revealed. The first was the northern edge of a
sub-rectangular enclosure evidenced both by the geophysical survey and by crop marks.
The other was a penannular gully, indicating the presence of a possible roundhouse
towards the centre of the site, in a location where the geophysical survey had not
suggested any features. Whilst only a few finds were discovered, principally of mediaeval
and post-mediaeval pottery, the overall conclusion was that the results indicate
that this gently sloping south facing site formed part of a wider pattern of Prehistoric
or Romano-British activity.
14. Cooks Cross, South Molton
A trench evaluation was carried out of a site for residential development to the
rear of Cooks Cross on the south-eastern edge of the town centre. The results established
that there had been a small amount of post-mediaeval settlement activity close to
the site, with a lesser amount of mediaeval activity, and a great deal of later post-mediaeval
and modern disturbance. Finds were largely mediaeval and post-mediaeval pottery sherds.
15. Moors Yard, South Street, South Molton
This excavation, carried out in advance of residential development, involved the
stripping of soil to target an area previously identified as containing possible
prehistoric activity. A small number of features were exposed, principally comprising
ditches and small pits of mediaeval and post-mediaeval origin. The small collection
of finds comprised mediaeval and post-mediaeval pottery.
16. Hollamoor, Tawstock
Two reports on a proposed solar farm near Tawstock village assessed the impact of
the development. The first was a gradiometer survey, which indicated that a small
number of anomalies were present on the site. Most of these were indicative of former
field boundaries. However, one of these field boundaries shows as a very substantial
ditch or holloway that defines part of an oval enclosure associated with Hollamoor
Farm. Within this enclosure there is a large but slight circular feature that may
be evidence of a roundhouse.
The second report is a Historic Visual Impact Assessment of the solar farm. It concludes
that in this topographically complex but intimate landscape the overall impact is
negative/minor to negative/moderate, with the greater impacts being experienced at
Hollamoor Farm, Tawstock Court and Tawstock village, where there are a number of
listed buildings.
Discussion
These 18 reports on 16 sites from 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 and solar farms were proposed. The most interesting
reports were the evidence of iron working at North Molton village and the prehistoric
enclosures just to the south of South Molton. Both add to an increasing body of evidence
of such activity at each settlement.
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