SNN112310 - Land to the rear of The Wooden Walls of Old England Public House, High Street, Collingtree: Archaeological Work 2019

During the period December 2019 to April 2020, Benchmark Archaeology (BA) undertook a programme of Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis And Publication Of Works (hereinafter AWB) on land to rear of The Wooden Walls Of Old England Public House, High Street, Collingtree, Northamptonshire, NN4 0NE (NGR: 475148 255599, Figures 1 - 3). The work was commissioned and funded by Cornerstone 2 Ltd. Planning permission was granted by Northampton Borough Council (NBC) for residential development comprising 2 no. detached dwellings with garages (Planning Ref: N/2019/0404). The site lies within an area of significant and demonstrated archaeological potential. Recent archaeological work has identified Romano-British settlement activity dating to the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD (Cherrington 2020b). Due to the archaeological potential of the site the Assistant Archaeological Advisor (AAA), Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) recommended that a programme of AWB be undertaken on the site during groundworks with the potential to expose, truncate or destroy deposits of archaeological significance. Prior to the fieldwork a Project Design (Cherrington 2020a) specifying the methodology to be employed during the AWB was produced and submitted as a requirement of planning permission. The AWB was successful in its aim of providing a written, drawn and photographic record of significant archaeological features and deposits encountered during development. The AWB has demonstrated further Romano-British settlement activity in Collingtree largely in the form of linear boundary features and elements of a probable rectilinear enclosure which may be the earliest feature on the site. Pottery recovered from the excavated features has extended the occupation date range to the 1st – 4th Centuries AD with residual pottery suggesting Late Iron Age activity on or near the site. The majority of the excavated discrete features remain undated but are likely to be Romano-British or Medieval in date. Medieval activity dating to the 12th and 13th Centuries has also been recorded, including a curvilinear ditch containing evidence for ironworking on the site. Post-medieval activity dating to the 18th Century is also demonstrated, As previously suggested the Romano-British and Medieval activity is highly likely to extend beyond the confines of the two recent sites excavated by BA in 2019 and 2019 – 2020.