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Report Title
Land at Victoria Allotments, West Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire: Archaeological Field Evaluation
Publisher and Publication Year
Albion Archaeology - 2007
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Summary
Non-Technical Summary South Bedfordshire District Council has granted planning permission (04/812) for land at the Victoria Allotments in Dunstable to be used instead as an extension to the adjacent, existing cemetery. The CAO advised that the proposed development area was archaeologically sensitive. As a result, a condition was attached to the planning permission requiring the implementation of a scheme of archaeological investigation as a consequence of the change of use. In August 2007, Albion Archaeology was commissioned by Jacobs to undertake an archaeological field evaluation (trial trenching) of the site on behalf of Dunstable Town Council. The proposed development area comprises land at the northern end of the Victoria Allotments, immediately south of West Street. It is c. 3.6ha in extent and is centred on (NGR) TL 0135 2147. The development area lies close to the historic core of Dunstable, which has its origins in the Roman period. A small town, known as Durocobrivis, developed at the crossroads of a Roman road, Watling Street, and a prehistoric route-way, the Icknield Way. A previous archaeological investigation immediately west of the development area revealed the remains of roadside ditches and wheel-ruts, consistent with the continual use of this route-way, now known as West Street. The development area was evaluated using five trenches. These revealed the remains of post-medieval quarrying along the southern side of West Street. Modern made ground used to level the former quarry and evidence of root disturbance were also recorded. The quarrying activity has been attributed to the maintenance of the post- medieval road surface. Such remains are of low archaeological significance. Albion Archaeology Land at the Victoria Allotments, West Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire Archaeological Field Evaluation 6 1. INTRODUCTION-----------------------------
4.1 Summary of Archaeological Remains
The evaluation has revealed post-medieval quarrying activity, modern made
ground and widespread root disturbance. No evidence was found of the ditch
and wheel ruts identified by the earlier evaluation immediately to the west
(Albion Archaeology 2004, Figure 1).
The occurrence of quarrying in close proximity to West Street may indicate that
it was associated with the maintenance of the post-medieval road surface. The
modern layer of made ground represents deliberate levelling of the depression
left by the quarrying.
The widespread root disturbance is consistent with the use of the area for
allotments and the current heavily vegetated state of the development area.
4.2 Significance of Archaeological Remains-----------------------------
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 6 1.1 Project Background 6 1.2 Site Location (Figure 1) 6 1.3 Topography, Geology, Soils and Land Use 6 1.4 Archaeological Background 6 1.5 Project Objectives 7 2. METHODOLOGY 8 3. RESULTS 93.4 Undated (Figure 3) 9 4. SYNTHESIS 10 4.1 Summary of Archaeological Remains 10 4.2 Significance of Archaeological Remains 10 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 6. APPENDIX 1 12 6.1 Context Summary 12
Headings
3.2 Post-medieval (Figure 2) 9Preface
Structure of the Report
Key Terms
Non-Technical Summary
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Project Background
1.2 Site Location (Figure 1)
1.3 Topography, Geology, Soils and Land Use
1.4 Archaeological Background
1.5 Project Objectives
2. METHODOLOGY
3. RESULTS
3.1 Overburden and undisturbed geological deposits (Figure 7)
3.2 Post-medieval (Figure 2)
3.4 Undated (Figure 3)
4. SYNTHESIS
4.1 Summary of Archaeological Remains
4.2 Significance of Archaeological Remains
Land at the Victoria Allotments, West Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY