t h a m e s v a l l e y archaeological · march 2016. i thames valley archaeological services ltd,...

T H A M E S V A L L E Y

S E R V I C E S

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

Abbey Retail Park (North), Abbey Road, Barking, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Archaeological Evaluation

by Graham Hull

Site Code: ABR14ABR15/191

(TQ 4385 8400)


An Archaeological Evaluation

for Wolford Ltd

by Graham Hull

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code: ABR14

March 2016

i

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR

Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk

Summary

Site name: Abbey Retail Park (North), Abbey Road, Barking, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Grid reference: TQ 4385 8400 (site centre) Site activity: Archaeological Evaluation Date and duration of project: 18th - 25th February 2016 Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Graham Hull Site code: ABR14 Area of site: 2.07ha Summary of results: Five evaluation trenches were excavated. Three located archaeological features, deposits and finds that date from the Roman, Saxon, medieval and post-medieval periods. A possible Saxon ditch was found. A deposit model based on borehole logs, previous archaeological excavations, evaluation trenching and cartographic study identified a geological discontinuity with alluvium to the west and north of the site and glacial tills to the east and south-east. Finds include Roman and medieval brick and tile, Saxon, medieval and post-medieval pottery, animal bone and worked timber. The evaluation trenching has provided further evidence for Saxon and medieval activity associated with Barking Abbey. Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at The Museum of London in due course, with accession code ABR14. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp. Report edited/checked by: Steve Preston� 29.03.16

1


An Archaeological Evaluation

by Graham Hull

Report 15/191b

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at Abbey Retail Park (North), Abbey

Road, Barking, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (TQ 4385 8400) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by

Mr Ian Harris of Wolford Ltd, Forward House, 17, High Street, Henley In Arden, Warwickshire, B95 5AA.

Planning permission was granted on 16th December 2014 by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

(13/00852/FUL) for the demolition of existing buildings and construction of new 9,544 sq. m superstore (Class A1),

419 car parking spaces, together with new vehicular access and associated highway works, improvements to river bank,

landscaping, and other ancillary works at Abbey Retail Park, Abbey Road, Barking, Essex.

Condition 26 refers to archaeology:

‘26) No demolition, contamination remediation or development shall take place until the applicant has submitted an Archaeological Mitigation Strategy and received written approval for it from the Local Planning Authority. The Archaeological Mitigation Strategy shall contain the following elements and specify appropriate measures to avoid, reduce or offset possible harm to heritage assets of archaeological interest: ‘1) A 3-dimensional deposit model of the site and its immediate surroundings using pre-existing data; ‘2) Management and monitoring of the groundwater environment within the site to protect any waterlogged remains; ‘3) Design and installation of new piled foundations and controls over contamination remediation and other groundworks; ‘4) Provision for archaeological evaluation, monitoring, and investigation in advance of and during groundworks, including palaeo-environmental sampling; ‘5) Contingency arrangements for major new discoveries; ‘6) Arrangements for post-excavation archaeological assessment, analysis and publication; ‘7) Timetabling and procedure for integrating archaeological work before, during and after the construction programme; ‘8) Details of the archaeological team to include appropriate experience, professional qualifications and specialist expertise; ‘9) Provision for public outreach.

‘B) No demolition or development shall take place until the applicant has submitted an Archaeological Method Statement and received written approval for it from the Local Planning Authority. The Archaeological Method Statement shall specify how and when the Archaeological Mitigation Strategy will be implemented and the development must not be carried out otherwise than in accordance with the approved method statement. ‘C) The applicant shall submit the post excavation assessment and details for the provision of analysis, publication and dissemination of the results and archive deposition to the Local Planning Authority for approval within 6 months of completion of on-site works, in accordance with the programme set out in the approved Archaeological Mitigation Strategy. ‘D) A comprehensive written report of the archaeological investigations carried out in accordance with this condition must be completed and published within three years of the

2

completion of development and a copy provided to the Greater London Historic Environment Record.

‘Reason: ‘To ensure that archaeological investigation is initiated at an appropriate point in the development process, any areas of archaeological preservation are identified and appropriately recorded/preserved in accordance with Policy BP3 of the Borough Wide Development Policies DPD (March 2011).’

The field investigation was carried out in accordance with a written scheme of investigation (WSI) approved by

Mr Adam Single, Archaeological Advisor, Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS), Historic

England. GLAAS provides archaeological advice to London borough planning officers.

The fieldwork was undertaken by Graham Hull between 18th and 25th February 2016 with assistance from Will

Attard, Joan Garibo and David Platt. The Museum of London site code is ABR14 and the TVAS project code is 15/191.

The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with the

Museum of London in due course, with accession code ABR14.

Location, topography and geology

The site is situated on the edge of Barking town centre, in the area covered by the Barking Town Centre Area Action

Plan, and an archaeological priority zone. The site also falls within Environment Agency Flood Zone 1.

The site is 2.07 hectares of previously developed land with demolished retail warehouse units and is demarcated to

the south by the former Abbey Retail Park (South), which is being redeveloped to provide residential dwellings,

associated amenities, landscaping and car parking, to the east by Abbey Road, to the north by London Road and to the

west by the River Roding; a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Representative photographs of the site are

provided as Plates 1 and 2.

The site is essentially level and the modern ground surface lies within 0.30m above and below a typical height of

4.50m above Ordnance Datum (AOD). The current layout is presented as Figure 2. The underlying geology is on a

transition between Pleistocene terrace gravels at the east and Holocene peat and fine grained alluvial deposits laid down

by the River Roding (BGS 1976). This geological transition was observed in the evaluation.

Archaeological background

An overview of the archaeological deposits previously excavated within the site to the immediate south has been

published (Hull 2002) and a desk-based assessment for an area that includes the site has been undertaken (WA 2013).

The following summarizes the archaeological background.

3

The archaeological potential of the proposal site stems from its location within and adjacent to the curtilage of

Barking Abbey, with upstanding ruins just to the south-east of the site. The abbey, unusually, has Saxon origins having

been founded c. AD 675. The abbey has been variously investigated in the 18th and 19th centuries, but more

systematically so by fieldwork undertaken in 1910-11 ahead of the construction of Abbey Road, which lies to the east of

the current site (Clapham 1913). Those excavations recorded buried remains of the medieval abbey that dated from the

latter half of the 12th century. The 1910-11 excavations are reputed to have included fieldwork to the west of the

proposed road, although not within the proposal site but the precise location and extent of these excavations are

unknown. These works did record the presence of the abbey drain crossing the line of the proposed new road.

The Saxon abbey (or at least a significant part of it) may have been discovered and excavated on the proposed

development site to the immediate south in 1985 but the results were never published, except summarily (Stone 1986;

MacGowan 1987; 1988; 1996). A subsequent excavation on the southern site in 1990 has also not been fully published

(MacGowan 1991 and 1996) but revealed further Saxon and medieval deposits. These two excavations by Passmore

Edwards Museum (BA-I-85 and BA-IE-90) identified a possible 8th-/9th-century Saxon church, a possible early 8th-

century horizontal water mill and Saxon period hearths, kilns and wells. One of the kilns suggested glass-working, very

rare for the period. High status finds dating to the 8th century included glass vessel shards, pottery, coins, loomweights,

spindle whorls, pin beaters, iron and copper alloy styli, decorated bone combs, a bronze manicure set, gold thread,

millefiori glasswork and a weaving sword.

Medieval structures found in BA-I-85 and BA-IE-90 included cellared buildings, a garderobe, precinct walls and

two hearths evidencing later medieval lead working.

A third excavation (ARP97) further to the south was published in full (Hull 2002) and revealed modern made

ground overlying Saxon and medieval deposits, along with the remains of a Saxon timber wharf or jetty. Some

prehistoric, Roman and industrial medieval deposits were also found. A back-filled post-medieval watercourse was also

excavated.

Passmore Edwards Museum also carried out evaluation trenching on the development site (BA-I-83) (Fig. 2). The

results of that relatively small-scale work have not been located.

Cartographic (Hull 2002; WA 2013) and pictorial evidence (Pl. 14) shows that the proposal site was essentially

rural, if not pastoral, until the early 20th century, when a match factory was built (Hull 2002; WA 2013; Pl. 15).

Evaluation trenching carried out on the site in 2014 (WA 2014) (Fig. 2) found residual pottery dating to the 13th to

14th centuries, an east to west aligned ditch and two north-east to south-west aligned ditches.

4

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the evaluation was to provide information to determine the date, nature, extent and state of preservation

of any archaeological deposits within the area of the redevelopment. This work was undertaken at the request of

GLAAS to supplement the earlier phase of evaluation trenching (WA 2014). The fieldwork will be employed to provide

the detailed information necessary to mitigate the effects of development. This study comprised of two components of

work. These were field evaluation by means of machine trial trenching and interpretation of borehole data and

archaeological evaluation information to produce a deposit model.

The specific research aims of the project were:

to determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on this site in the zone immediately to the north of the excavated Saxon Abbey; to confirm the location of the former terrace edge, taken as a marker to the extent of Saxon and medieval settlement; and to provide information in order to draw up an appropriate mitigation strategy if required.

The potential and significance of any such deposits located was to be assessed according to the research priorities such

as set out in English Heritage Research Agenda (English Heritage 2005) or any more local or thematic research

priorities such as A Research Framework for London’s Archaeology (MoLAS 2003) as necessary.

It was proposed to dig 5 trenches, each between 1.80m and 2.00m wide at the base and in length to be 5m

(Trenches D and E), 10m (Trench B and C) and 20m (Trench A). The trenches were located according to assumed sub-

surface geology/topography within the on-site limiting constraints of services, access needs and standing buildings. The

specific rationale for the location of each trench is given below in the results section. The trenches were dug by a

tracked 360o-type machine operated under direct and continuous archaeological supervision. A pneumatic breaker and

rotary cutter were used on reinforced concrete and Tarmac and, where needed, a toothed bucket was used to loosen and

remove densely compacted modern overburden. A toothless grading bucket was used to expose the archaeological

levels. Potential archaeological features or deposits were hand cleaned and excavated. All trenches were backfilled and

exposed archaeological deposits were protected by plastic sheeting prior to backfill.

Results

The trenches were assigned an identification letter (A-E) rather than number to avoid confusion with the earlier phase of

trenching (WA 2014, Fig. 2). Trenches A-C and E were dug in the locations as intended in the WSI but Trench D was

moved to the north to avoid very heavily reinforced concrete and potentially buried asbestos as seen in Trench A.

Despite the presence of buried asbestos sheets in Trench A, it was possible to dig slots at the trench ends and the trench

length was reduced from 20m to 16m.

5

A list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology is given in Appendix

1. A catalogue of features and deposits is given as Appendix 2.

Trench A (Figs 3 and 5, Pls 3-6) The trench was positioned to assess the location of the margin of the raised glacial deposits and the adjacent alluvium at

the south-east of the site. The trench was also targeted within the ground plan of the demolished retail unit as this

significant portion of the site had only been subject to very small scale archaeological evaluation (WA 2014). The

modern ground surface was at 4.60m AOD.

Trench A was orientated from south-east to north-west and was 16m long and 4m wide at the surface. The sub-

surface presence of asbestos corrugated roofing sheets required that the excavation of the trench cease. This said, two

relatively small slots, located at each end of the trench, were safely dug down to the natural geological deposits. The

south-east slot measured 2m by 0.6m and was 2.8m deep. The north-west slot measured 2.5m by 2m and 2.8m deep.

The stratigraphy at the south-east end was 0.6m of concrete that was heavily reinforced by steel bars (1051).

Deposits associated with the construction, use and demolition of the 20th century factory were recorded beneath the

concrete. These deposits (1052) were 0.9m thick and were mixed hue but typically dark brown to black and included

clinker rich material, modern brick, modern pottery, concrete, fragments of modern window glass, modern timber and

disused cast iron pipe. Beneath the factory deposits was a moderately compact, mid greyish brown silty clay that

included river-rolled small stones and gravel. This deposit (1053) was 0.5m thick and the surface of the deposit was

encountered at 3.12m AOD. Deposit 1053 was moderately compact light and mid greyish brown silty clay with frequent

inclusions of river-rolled small stones and gravel. The deposit is likely to represent medieval dumping episodes at the

margin of the dry ground adjacent to the marsh known to have existed into the earlier 20th century. It is quite possible

that this dumping was augmented in the earlier 20th century by dumping/levelling to raise the level of the ground

surface above the water table and prior to the construction of the factory. Naturally deposited light grey alluvial clay

(1054) was recorded for a depth of 0.8m at the base of the slot. Hand-worked timber piles were recovered from the base

of the slot. Given the narrow slot, that rapidly filled with ground-water, the timber piles were not recorded in situ.

Adhering soil on the timbers showed that they had most likely been pushed through dumped deposit 1053 and into the

alluvial clay 1054.

The stratigraphy of the north-west slot was very similar. Concrete (1051) 0.7m thick, overlay factory deposits

(1053) 0.9m thick. The surface of dumped deposit 1053 lay at 2.91m AOD. Deposit 1053 was 0.5m thick. Pottery

sherds dating to at the latest the mid 12th century AD and Roman and medieval ceramic brick and tile were recovered

from deposit 1053. Beneath this was a sticky dark bluish grey clay (1055) that was 0.4m thick. This clay included

6

pottery (dating to at the latest the early 8th century AD), animal bone and Roman and medieval ceramic building

material. Deposit 1055 may however have been alluvial and naturally laid with the artefacts having sunk into the soft

clay. The lowest observed deposit was light grey alluvial clay (1054) that was recorded for a depth of 0.2m at the base

of the slot. Two sherds of pottery dating to at the earliest the 5th century AD and a three pieces of tile, including a piece

of Roman tile, were recovered from the surface of deposit 1054, but the alluvial nature of both this and the overlying

deposit mean that these cannot provide dating evidence for this deposit except in the very broadest of terms.

Trench B (Figs 3 and 5, Pls 7 and 8) The trench was located at the east of the site and was targeted to define the margin of the dry and wet ground predicted

in the deposit model submitted with the WSI for this archaeological intervention. The trench was also sited to search for

archaeological features along the dry eastern margin of the site. The modern ground surface was at 4.49m at the west

and 4.29m AOD at the east.

Trench B was orientated from east to west and was 11.2m long by 3m wide at the surface. The trench was stepped

down to allow safe access and the base of the trench measured 9.3m by 2m and was typically 2m deep. A slot dug to

assess a linear feature found in the trench went to a depth of 2.8m below the modern ground surface.

The stratigraphy was 0.08m of Tarmac (1050) over 0.4m of concrete (1051). 20th century factory deposits (1052)

as per Trench A were 0.4m thick at the west end and 0.2m thick at the east end. A modern cut was noted in the south-

facing section. The north-facing trench side was defined by an east to west concrete base for a brick wall. Dumped

deposit 1053 as seen in Trenches A and C was beneath the factory deposits and was 1.2m thick at the east end and 0.9m

thick at the west end. Roman and medieval ceramic building material was recovered from deposit 1053. The surface of

this dumped deposit was at 3.7m AOD at the east and 3.56m AOD at the west. Naturally deposited mid orangish brown

glacial till that was a slightly sandy clay was seen at the base of the trench.

A north-east to south-west orientated linear feature that was likely a ditch [1] was recorded cutting the natural

geology. This feature was wider than the evaluation trench at the west end and its width exceeded 2m. The observed

length of the ditch was 6.90m. A slot dug into the probable ditch showed the feature had a depth of at least 0.90m. The

probable ditch had a flattish base and the southern edge was relatively steeply inclined. Four fills were noted. The

primary fill (1061) was moderately compact pale greenish grey silty clay with pieces of natural twigs and had a

recorded depth 0f 0.26m. The secondary fill (1060) was moderately compact dark brownish grey silty clay with

occasional small stone and gravel inclusions and was 0.13m thick. The third fill (1056) was moderately compact mid

reddish brown silty clay with occasional small stone and gravel inclusions and was 0.09m thick. The upper fill (1057)

was moderately compact dark brownish grey silty clay with occasional small stone and gravel inclusions and was 0.39m

7

thick. It should be noted that the finds recovered from the slot were bagged as from upper fill 1057 but derived from all

four ditch fills. The resolution of the fills was only seen in the ditch slot that lay below the water table. Pottery dating to

at least the early 8th century AD was recovered from the ditch fill. Unstratified pottery sherds dating to the 8th or 9th

century AD was also found in the spoil from Trench B. Two pieces of wood, perhaps worked, and animal bone were

recovered from the ditch slot.

Trench C (Figs 4 and 5, Pls 9 and 10) Trench C was located at the east of the site and similarly to Trench B was targeted to define the margin of the dry and

wet ground predicted in the deposit model submitted with the WSI for this archaeological intervention. The trench was

also sited to search for archaeological features along the dry eastern margin of the site. The modern ground surface was

at 4.30m AOD.

Trench C was orientated from east-south-east to west-north-west and was 10.4m long and 3.5m wide at the

surface. The trench was stepped down to allow safe access and the base of the trench measured 9m by 2m and was

typically 1.9m deep. A machine excavated slot at the west end was 2.6m below the modern surface.

The stratigraphy was 0.08m of Tarmac (1050) over 0.3m of concrete (1051) that was in turn overlying factory

deposits (1052). These 20th century deposits were 0.7m thick at the western end and 0.8m thick at the eastern end. The

dumped deposit (1053) as seen in Trenches A and B was 0.7m thick at the western end and 0.8m thick at the eastern

end. The surface of this dumped deposit was at 3.26m AOD. A pottery sherd dating to at the latest the late 13th century

AD, medieval tile and animal bone were recovered from deposit 1053, Naturally deposited mid orange-brown glacial

till (1058) that was a slightly sandy clay was seen at the base of the trench at the eastern end. Approximately 5.1m from

the eastern trench end, the basal deposits changed to light grey alluvial clay (1054). The margin between the two natural

deposits was somewhat blurred due to a concrete pile that was removed in the evaluation trench. A machine dug slot at

the western end showed that 0.85m of the alluvial clay (1054) overlay the glacial clay (1058).

Trench D (Figs 4 and 5, Pl. 11) Trench D was located at the north of the site. Given the extreme depth of very heavily reinforced concrete and the

underlying asbestos observed in Trench A, the location of Trench D was moved off the originally intended location

within the ground plan of the demolished retail unit. Trench D was placed to confirm the sub-surface presence of

alluvium on the marshy flood plain of the River Roding. The modern ground surface was at 4.41m AOD.

The trench was orientated from east to west and measured 5m by 4m at the surface. The trench was stepped down

to allow safe access and the base of the trench measured 5m by 2m and was typically 1.6m deep. The stratigraphy was

0.08m of Tarmac (1050) over 0.24m of concrete (1051) that was in turn overlying factory deposits (1052) 0.94m thick.

8

Archaeologically sterile light grey alluvial clay (1054), 0.18m thick, overlay archaeologically sterile dark grey alluvial

clay (1058) at the base of the trench.

Trench E (Figs 4 and 5, Pls 12 and 13) Trench E was located at the central west part of the site and was placed to confirm the sub-surface presence of alluvium

on the marshy flood plain of the River Roding as well as to search for further timbers as seen in the previous phase of

evaluation trenching (WA 2014, Trench 2a) The modern ground surface was at 4.47m AOD.

The trench was orientated from north to south and measured 5.2m by 3.9m at the surface. The trench was stepped

down to allow safe access and the base of the trench measured 5m by 2m and was typically 1.75m deep.

The stratigraphy was 0.34m of concrete (1051) overlying factory deposits (1052) 1.36m thick. Archaeologically

sterile light grey alluvial clay (1054) was recorded at the base of the trench. At the west side of the trench a 20th century

brick wall was noted. A machined timber was noted at the eastern face of the wall.

Finds

Pottery by Paul Blinkhorn

The pottery assemblage comprised 17 sherds with a total weight of 679g. It comprised a mixture of middle Anglo-

Saxon, medieval and modern wares, and was recorded using the conventions of the Museum of London Type-Series

(eg. Vince 1985), as follows:

CHAF: Organic-tempered Ware, AD400-750, 3 sherds, 266g. IPSF: Ipswich Ware, AD730-850. 6 sherds, 205g. LOND: London-type Ware, early/mid 12th – mid 14th century. 1 sherd, 9g. LONS: London Stoneware, 1670 – 1900. 1 sherd, 125g. MG: Mill Green Ware, 1270 – 1350. 1 sherd, 4g. SSW: Sandy-Shelly Ware, 1140 – 1200. 3 sherds, 62g. TPW: Transfer-printed Whiteware, 1830-1900. 2 sherds, 8g.

The pottery occurrence by number and weight of sherds per context by fabric type is shown in Appendix 3. Each

date should be regarded as a terminus post quem. The range of fabric types is fairly typical of sites in the region, with

the middle Saxon wares previously noted at a number of sites in the wic of London (Blackmore 2003), and also in

previous work at at Barking Abbey (Redknap 1991). The sherds of middle Saxon material were mostly large and in

good condition, and there seems little doubt that there was activity of the period within the immediate vicinity of these

investigations.

One of the sherds of Ipswich Ware was decorated with a single row of overlapped round grid (RG) stamps flanked

by combed lines. This arrangement, probably an attempt to imitate rouletting, is classified as SCZ (Blinkhorn 2012).

9

The sherd, given the curvature, will have been from a large storage/transportation vessel, as only these and pitchers

were stamped.

The rest of the assemblage consists of fairly small and scattered medieval and later wares which are common finds

in the region.

Ceramic Building Material by Danielle Milbank

A total of 9.037kg of ceramic building material (80 fragments) was recovered during the evaluation. Tile fragments

comprised the majority of the larger pieces, with several larger brick pieces present. The remainder comprised smaller

brick or tile fragments that were not diagnostic. The ceramic building materials were examined under x10 magnification

and where possible, dated and/or categorised according to type (following Harley 1974). The material is summarized in

Appendix 4. Ceramic building material was recorded in the largest quantities in layers 1053 and 1055 in Trench A

(4.624kg) with the remainder of contexts producing smaller amounts.

Roman material Deposits 1053 and 1055 in Trench A included a piece of Roman material, (medium hard fine fabric with very sparse

rounded coarse sand inclusions). It is of a pale orange red colour, 28mm thick, with a slightly laminated texture, and is

likely to represent tegula.

Further examples were recovered from Trench A (1053/1055) and Trench B (deposit 1053). Deposit 1054 in

Trench A contained a fragment of box tile. The colour is a light orange red with greyish and blackened areas suggestive

of reducing conditions during firing. The piece is 25mm thick and has sets of 5 combed lines in a cross-hatch pattern,

which provides keying for mortar or plaster.

Medieval and early post-medieval material Tiles

Plain roof tile types (plain peg or pan tiles) were represented, with no floor tiles, ridge tiles or other forms present.

These comprise a hard to medium coarse sandy fabric with occasional fine groggy inclusions, with a red surface colour

and a grey (reduced) core. The pieces are thin (10mm), and fairly uneven, with a rough finish, and have thickened

edges, and a peg hole is present on two examples. These are characteristic of medieval tile, likely to date to the 11th to

14th century. Also recovered were two brick examples, both a slightly soft clay fabric with fine groggy inclusions and

possible grain impressions. The form is fairly even, however the pieces have notable edge-thickening and are 40mm

thick. The form, fabric and dimensions suggest a date in the first half of the medieval period.

10

Further pieces of likely medieval date were recovered from Ditch 1 (1057 (Trench B), and deposit 1053 in Trench

C, which have sparse sandy inclusions and fine angular red groggy inclusions. The colour is red, with frequent

examples of a grey core indicating reducing conditions during firing.

Brick

Brick pieces were recovered from Trenches A and B deposit 1053 (all but one piece was recovered from Trench A). The

fabric is a medium hard coarse sandy clay of an orange red colour with sparse flint inclusions, with some pieces slightly

blackened on one side. They are 31mm thick, fairly even in form with striations on the upper surface and a rough base

indicating they were formed on a sanded surface. A pale grey yellow sandy mortar is present on two of the examples.

They are likely to represent brick manufacture in the early part of the medieval period. Although no complete bricks

were present, the form and dimensions of the pieces are suggestive of the 'Great Bricks' of the 12th and 13th centuries.

A further piece of this type was recovered from Trench A, deposit 1053/1055.

Conclusion

The quantity of ceramic building material recovered from the site reflects the durable nature of brick and tile, and some

of the material may represent re-use. Two main periods were represented, the Roman (represented by box tile, tegula

and brick as residual finds), and the early to mid medieval period.

The Roman material is suggestive of high status building, although because such material is often re-used, not

necessarily on the site. Box tiles were used to heat rooms, originally in bathhouses but later in other domestic settings.

Typically, these were stacked in columns and held in place with iron clamps, lining the wall and channelling heated air

through the building, with plaster applied to the wall surface. The combed lines provide keying for the plaster, and were

produced in a wide variety of patterns. Although these forms are associated with buildings of some status, as a result of

the durable nature of the material it is also common to find brick and tile reused to form walls or wall foundations, and

presence of box tile does not necessarily indicate a building with hypocaust heating on the site itself.

The early medieval material is linked to the existence of abbey buildings on or near the site, and the use of brick in

this period was largely restricted to buildings of high status. It was unlikely to have been transported any great distance

once discarded, and such material is sometimes found reused to form wall foundations for later structures. The majority

of the material is of early medieval date, and reflects the nature of the overall activity on the site in the period.

Animal Bone by Lizzi Lewins

A small assemblage of animal bone (56 pieces), weighing a total of 1248g, was recovered during the course of the

evaluation. The bone was classified according to size (large - cattle/horse; medium - sheep/goat, pig, deer) and where

possible by species. The bone was in good condition with little surface abrasion or erosion noted. The guides of Hillson

11

(1992; 2005), Schmid (1972) and Serjeantson (2009) were used to confirm identification when necessary. An inventory

of the bone can be found in Appendix 5.

Dumped deposit (1053) contained a single piece of identifiable bone which consisted of a partial metapodial shaft

from a large mammal. Two small cutmarks were noted along the length of the shaft.

Mixed deposits (1053) and (1055) contained nineteen pieces of bone, of which only two pieces were

unidentifiable. The identified remains consisted of four rib fragments and a thoracic vertebrae classified as a medium

sized mammal. The vertebral body was noted to be un-fused and one of the rib fragments shows evidence for possible

slicing. A fragment of pelvis (acetabulum) was recovered and classified as a medium sized mammal, possibly a

sheep/goat. Two long bones were identified and consisted of a right, distal tibia which had been sliced and a left

proximal radius, both were classified as medium sized mammals, likely deer. Three rib fragments and a fragment of

neural spine were classified as a large mammal. Three bird bones were present amongst the recovered remains and

consisted of an unidentified long bone, a possible tibiotarsus (shaft only) and a humerus likely from a chicken. A right

un-fused calcaneus classified as cattle and a 3rd metacarpal (side unknown) from a pig were also identified.

Ditch 1 (1057) contained the greatest amount of bone, of which twenty-five pieces were identified. The

identifiable remains consisted of four rib fragments (three shafts and one proximal articulation which bore cut marks), a

fragment of ulna, a partially fused fragment of scapula, a partial acetabulum and a long bone shaft all from medium

sized mammals. Two long bone shaft fragments, two rib shaft fragments, a fragment of scapula and a partial acetabulum

were classified as large mammals. Both of the long bone shafts and one of the rib fragments had been sliced. A small

un-fused calcaneus was identified but could not be classified. The remains identified to species level consisted of a right

mandible with the p2 - m3 teeth in situ, a left distal humerus, a left radius, a left proximal radius and a right un-fused

radius were all identified as a sheep/goat. The distal epiphysial articulation of the radius was not present amongst the

assemblage. A worn left canine (male), 4th metacarpal (side unknown) and a 3rd un-fused metacarpal (side unknown)

were identified as pig. The remains identified as cattle consisted of a partial tibia (side unknown) of which only a small

amount of the proximal articulation remained, a right un-fused metacarpal and a partial proximal metatarsal (side

unknown) which had been sliced along the length of the shaft with only a small amount of the proximal articulation

present. The distal epiphysial articulation of the metacarpal was not present amongst the assemblage.

Given the small number of duplicated skeletal elements the minimum number of individuals was found to be one

each of cattle, pig and bird, and two sheep/goat. A small amount of butchery marks were noted within the assemblage,

which given the range of domesticates represented is likely to represent domestic consumption. No further taphonomic

processes were identified.

12

Wood by Aidan Colyer

A total of six pieces of wood were recovered during the evaluation. Four of these pieces are from context 1053 in

Trench A while a further two pieces were recovered from ditch 1 (fill 1057) in Trench B. The timber dimensions are

shown in Appendix 6. The two pieces recovered from Trench B (numbers 1 and 2) are small and show very little sign of

being worked. The smaller of the two has been cut flat on both ends and may therefore be an off cut.

The four pieces recovered from context 1053 in Trench A have all been worked with adzes and axes. The largest of

these pieces (no. 3) is a post which has been cut to a point at one end. There is a deep gouge taken from the wood at

c.0.4m from the point which shows evidence of an adze or chisel with a blade around 35mm in width. Whilst the bark

had been removed from this piece some of the sapwood remained, this had been removed over a small portion (115mm

of the length) around the whole piece starting at 0.52m from the point. The other three pieces (numbers 4, 5 and 6) are

stakes although the damage to one of these pieces has removed any discernible point. The third of these pieces is

slightly larger and has a groove cut from it that is similar to that of the large piece.

In conclusion these pieces of wood are likely to be posts or stakes used for a fence.

Deposit model

Borehole logs from cable percussion and light percussion were obtained from an archaeological desk-based assessment

prepared for the proposed development (WA 2013). An archaeological deposit-modelling report has also been prepared

(WA 2015). Further information has been obtained from three archaeological evaluations (WA 2014, Hull 2015 and this

report), and three archaeological excavations on parts of the proposal site, undertaken in 1985-6 (MacGowan 1987;

1988; 1996), 1990 (MacGowan 1991; 1996) and 1998 (Hull 2002). Cartographic information was examined dating to

1653 (Fig. 9), 1814 (Hull 2002, fig. 14), 1846 (Fig. 10) and 1862 (Hull 2002, fig. 16). Documentary evidence from the

early 17th century onwards (Hull 2002) was also examined. The entirety of the retail park (north and south) is

considered here.

The 1998 excavation, and to a lesser extent the 1985-6 excavation, established that a river channel, at least 8.00m

wide and 2.00m deep and orientated broadly north to south was open from at least the mid Saxon period until it was

fully backfilled and diverted by the 18th century. The watercourse is shown on the 1653 map (Fig. 9) and is inferred by

vestigial land plots on later mapping. Lockwood (1986) names this narrow tributary of the River Roding as the 'Old

Hawkins River'.

The borehole logs, combined with the information outlined above, allow for a tentative reconstruction of the past

landscape in the immediate vicinity (Figs 6-8). It should be borne in mind that the boreholes were drilled for geological

and constructional purposes and as such only provide 'broad brush' descriptions of the sub-surface deposits as far as the

13

archaeology is concerned. 'Made ground', for example, is something of a catch-all and does not allow for the

stratigraphic refinement expected in archaeological recording (see for example Fig. 7, section B-B' where borehole

LP21 shows ‘made-ground’ but the adjacent Trench B shows archaeology). Further, the spatial interval between many

of the boreholes is on too gross a scale for detailed archaeological interpretation. In the absence of absolute levels for

the boreholes, it was assumed from a topographic survey (Fig. 2) that the proposal site is essentially level so that

relative depths in the bore holes ought to be broadly comparable in absolute terms. With the above caveats, useful

interpretation of the logs, maps and archaeological interventions is nonetheless possible.

The illustrated cross sections (Figs 7 and 8) are essentially orientated from west to east to ascertain the boundary

of the former marshy flood plain of the River Roding and the slightly higher dry land to the east (north to south cross

sections are illustrated in WA 2013, fig. WM10628-1-004). ‘Made ground’, that may include archaeologically relevant

deposits (but see test trench data), was seen across much of the site and typically was in the thickness range of 2.00m to

4.00m. The made ground overlay gravel (or glacial till) at the east of the proposal site. Beneath the made ground,

alluvium over gravel was recorded at the west of the proposal site and also across much of the northern part of the retail

park. This alluvium increased in depth westwards. The alluvium was recorded as having a maximum depth of 4.45m

(borehole LP23). This alluvium may evidence the narrow watercourse seen in the excavations and historic maps

(particularly the 1846 tithe map – Fig. 11) but seems likely to have been formed by the River Roding before that river

was canalized in its present channel. This alluvium has a high archaeological potential. The gravel at the east of the

retail park has been demonstrated by archaeological excavation and evaluation to have a high archaeological potential.

The location of the 'Abbey Marsh' and the boundary of the abbey precinct marked on the 1653 map (Fig. 9) and

the cross sections are indicative of a gravel promontory extending from dry land at the east to a wetter environment at

the west. The north part of the retail park (and particularly the west of the current development site) was likely marshy

and/or a river in the medieval period. This is confirmed by the evaluation trenches and can be seen to some extent in, for

example, the late 19th-century drawing (Pl. 14) and an early 20th-century photograph (Pl. 15). This said, a degree of

reclamation of the 'Abbey Marsh' is indicated to have taken place in the century and a half between 1653 (Fig. 9) and

1807 (Fig. 10) when Mr Smith's lands are shown behind a 'grass wall' (earthen bund?) on the eastern bank of the

Hawkins River.

The Saxon abbey and medieval activity associated with the later abbey to the immediate east were likely located

on this gravel promontory. The archaeological features and deposits and glacial till (clay) located in the evaluations (WA

2014 and this report) in the north part of the retail park were at the extreme east and in the south-east of the site and

these conform very well with boundaries shown on the 1653 and 1846 maps (Figs 9 and 11). There is then a very good

14

correlation between the predicted margin of historically wet and dry ground, the cartographic evidence and the

archaeological findings.

The now infilled Hawkins River that is shown on the 1807 and 1846 maps (Figs 10 and 11) flowing south-

westwards into the River Roding at the north-west of the proposal site was not identified in boreholes or test trenches.

Conclusion

The archaeological evaluation by means of test trenching has identified archaeological features, deposits and finds that

can be dated with a high degree of certainty to the Roman, Saxon, medieval and post-medieval periods. The animal

bone has not been dated but the high incidence of butchery marks on the bone is indicative of some processing but more

likely to represent food consumption. This relatively small assemblage of bone bears some comparison with the faunal

remains analysed in the southern excavation site (Hull 2002) in that it indicates nearby activity across both the Saxon

and medieval periods. This was likely to be from the nearby abbey.

Roman This period is represented by relatively large quantities of roof tiles and bricks possibly from hypocaust flooring. The

majority of these finds were from dumped deposits at the margin of the wet and dry land. It is very likely that the

Roman ceramic building material recovered in the evaluation trenches represents quarrying in later periods. It is

noteworthy that similar Roman material was found in later contexts in the 1998 excavation (Hull 2002) and that site did

not produce convincing evidence for primary Roman activity. That said, Roman features may have been found but not

reported in the 1985 excavation (Mark Watson, Valence House Museum, pers. comm.).

Saxon This period is represented by three sherds of Early Saxon pottery and six sherds of Middle Saxon pottery recovered

from Trenches A and B. It is possible that the timbers seen in Trench A also date to this period.

The three sherds of organic-tempered wares are from the period spanning the 5th to mid 8th centuries. One sherd

is residual and two sherds of this date derived from the surface of alluvium at the north-west end of Trench A and hint at

Saxon activity in the vicinity that pre-dates the founding of the nearby abbey in the later 7th century. The six sherds of

Ipswich Ware date from the early 8th to mid 9th centuries. One of these sherds was from a decorated, large

transportation vessel. These pieces are likely contemporary with the earlier phases of the Saxon abbey. One sherd was

unstratified from Trench B and another was likely residual from a later medieval deposit in Trench A. Two of the sherds

15

of Ipswich Ware were from a probable alluvial deposit in Trench A and the remaining two sherds were from a ditch fill

in Trench B and provide an indicative date for the feature to the early 8th century.

The ditch in Trench B was aligned from north-east to south-west and within the trench was 6.90m long by 2.00m

wide and 0.90m deep. The ditch has a high degree of correlation with a section of the oval abbey precinct as shown on

the 1653 map (see Fig. 9). It is plausible, given the archaeological evidence and the deposit modelling that the ditch

represents an early phase of the Saxon abbey founded in the later 7th century and that the ditch, in part, defines both the

margin of the religious establishment and the geological transition from gravels to alluvium. The ditch was not seen (as

should be expected) in Trench 4a from the earlier phase of evaluation (WA 2014): that trench was not fully excavated.

The timber piles recovered from a narrow slot excavated at the base of the south-east end of Trench A were pushed

into the alluvium from an overlying deposit that contained both Saxon and later medieval pottery. The timbers were at

the predicted margin of dry and wet land and coincident with the boundary of the abbey precinct as shown on the 1653

map (Fig. 9). The timber piles were similar to those found in the 1998 excavation approximately 180m to the south

(Hull 2002). Those piles were also driven into the alluvium edge and one was radiocarbon dated to the later 7th to early

9th centuries.

Animal bone from a range of domesticated species (including cattle, sheep/goat and pig) was found in deposits

with Saxon pottery and particularly the fill of the ditch in Trench A. These have cut marks indicative of consumption

and most probably represent dumping of food waste from the nearby religious establishment.

Ceramic building material that may date to the early medieval period was recovered from dumped deposits in

Trenches A, B and C and indicates the presence of a high status site nearby.

Medieval This period is represented by five sherds of pottery from Trenches A and C. The pottery is London-type Ware, sandy-

shelly ware and Mill Green ware, dating to typically the 12th – 14th centuries, and represents fairly common medieval

wares. Four of the sherds were from a dumped deposit dated by the pottery to the mid 12th century above alluvium in

Trench A. The fourth sherd was from a similar deposit in Trench C and was dated to the late 13th century.

Medieval pottery and ceramic building material dating from the 13th to 15th centuries were recovered as residual

material from the fill of a pit in Trench 4b in the earlier phase of evaluation (WA 2014).

Animal bone from a range of species (mainly domestic but including probable deer) was found in deposits with

medieval pottery and these are indicative of food consumption and most probably represent dumping of waste from the

nearby abbey. Of note are the cut pieces of bone likely from deer found in Trench A. Deer are associated with high

status (if not royal) consumption in the medieval period.

16

Ceramic building material was found in Trenches A, B and C that probably dates to the medieval period. These

were found at the margin of the wet and dry land and may represent disposal of abbey building fabric at the Dissolution

in 1541-2. The itemized account of the destruction and transportation of the abbey fabric that was made by the Surveyor

General to Henry VIII is possibly significant here:

'Comyn Laborers – Working not onely in ridding and clering oute the ffayrest and best coyne stone, casting the

rubbyshe a syde and not thus working onely but also making and mynding of the hey ways and in lyke manr levelling

the grownde for the land carr. of the said stone from the late abbey to the water syde.' (Clapham 1913, 72).

Post-medieval This period is represented by three sherds of pottery that date from the later 17th to the end of the 19th centuries. All the

sherds were residual in modern deposits and only a representative sample was retained. Evidence of modern activity

across the site was seen in the form of brick walls and concrete. Some of these undoubtedly evidence the match-making

factory that stood on the site in the 20th century (Pls 15 and 16).

Undated Two undated ditches were recorded in Trench 4b in the earlier phase of evaluation (WA 2014) (Figs 2 and 9). These

ditches were parallel to each other and to the ditch seen in Trench B. The ditches were smaller in scale (0.72m and

0.64m wide and 0.61m and 0.44m deep) but it is not unreasonable to suppose that they may be contemporary or later

iterations of the abbey precinct boundary as seen in the possible Saxon period ditch in Trench B. The two smaller

ditches were approximately 3.30m apart and may have flanked a now lost earthen bank.

Two further undated ditches were found in Trench 3 in the earlier phase of evaluation (WA 2014) (Figs 9-11).

These were aligned from north-east to south-west and from east to west and measured 0.65m and 0.70m wide and

0.18m and 0.34m deep. The north-east to south-west aligned ditch closely follows the predicted margin of wet and dry

land and may represent a a boundary at the edge of the 'Abbey Marsh'

Underlying topography and archaeological potential The deposit model demonstrates that the site can be divided into two geological areas: alluvium at the west of the site

and glacial tills to the east and south-east of the site.

At the west of the site the underlying deposits are alluvial clays that are associated with the former flood plain of

the River Roding. These clays were seen at approximately 2.63m (Trench A - SE), 2.39m (Trench A - NW), 2.62m

(Trench C), 3.01m (Trench D) and 2.84m (Trench E) AOD. This is approximately 1.97m (Trench A – SE), 2.21m

(Trench A – NW), 1.68m (Trench C), 1.40m (Trench D) and 1.63m (Trench E) beneath the modern ground surface. The

17

archaeological potential for these deposits is relatively low but it should be considered that timbers associated with a

probable wharf and dating to the Middle Saxon period (Hull 2002) were found at the margins of this alluvium in the

1998 excavation and timbers from a Saxon mill race (MacGowan 1996) were found in 1985 south of the site. As noted

above, timber piles were found within the alluvial clay in Trench A and these may be part of further waterside features

from the Saxon period.

Trenches A-C were at the margin of the 'wet' and 'dry' portions of the site and this zone has higher archaeological

potential. Here, archaeological material, perhaps associated with refuse disposal during the Saxon and medieval periods

and possibly the demolition of the abbey in the 16th century was observed. This observation supports the evidence of

Saxon and medieval refuse disposal into the wetter parts of the southern archaeological site (Hull 2002). The deposits

with dumped Saxon and medieval material lie at 3.12m (Trench A – SE), 2.91m (Trench A – NW), 3.56m (Trench B –

W), 3.70m (Trench B – E) and 3.26m (Trench C) AOD. This is approximately 1.48m (Trench A – SE), 1.69m (Trench A

– NW), 0.93m (Trench B – W), 0.59m (Trench B – E) and 1.04m (Trench C) beneath the modern ground surface.

The glacial tills recorded at the east and south-east part of the site have a very high archaeological potential. The

three previous archaeological excavations to the south (MacGowan, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996; Hull 2002) and the

evaluation to the south (Hull 2015) demonstrated archaeological activity from the prehistoric and Roman periods in the

form of artefacts and possibly features (Mark Watson, Valence House Museum pers. comm.). There are archaeological

features, deposits and finds from the Saxon and medieval periods that principally relate to the on-site and/or nearby

ecclesiastical establishments as well as associated craft and industrial processes.

The glacial tills have been shown to be largely untruncated by both the 20th-century factory that stood on the site

and the existing retail park. The archaeological features found in the excavations have been shown to survive relatively

undisturbed beneath the car park in the retail park. These glacial tills were seen to lie at approximately 2.44m (Trench B

- E) and 2.75m (Trench C - E) AOD. This is approximately 1.85m (Trench B – E) and 1.55m (Trench C) below the

modern ground surface (car park). The top of the presumed Saxon ditch in Trench B lies at 2.68m AOD which is 1.81m

below the modern surface.

The evaluation has demonstrated that at the east and south-east of the proposal site, archaeological deposits and

features lie at a minimum of 0.59m and at a maximum of 1.85m below the surface. This is broadly consistent with

findings from the three southern excavations (MacGowan, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996; Hull 2002) and the evaluation on

the southern part of the retail park (Hull 2015).

18

References

BGS, 1976, British Geological Survey, 1:50,000, Sheet 257, Drift Edition, Keyworth Blackmore, L, 2003, ‘The Pottery’, in G Malcolm and D Bowsher with R Cowie Middle Saxon London. Excavations at

the Royal Opera House 1989-99, MoLAS Monogr 15, 225-40, London Blinkhorn, P, 2012, The Ipswich ware project: Ceramics, trade and society in Middle Saxon England, Medieval Pottery

Res Grp Occas Pap 7 Clapham, A, 1913, ‘The Benedictine Abbey of Barking’, Trans Essex Archaeol Soc ns 12, Pt II, 69–87 Hammond, M, 1981, Bricks and Brickmaking, Haverfordwest Harley, L S, 1974, ‘A typology of brick’, J Brit Archaeol Assoc 37, London Hillson, S, 1992, Mammal Bones and Teeth, An Introductory Guide to Methods of Identification , London Hillson, S, 2005,Teeth (2nd edn), Cambridge Hull, G, 2002, ‘Barkingwic? Saxon and medieval features adjacent to Barking Abbey’, Essex Archaeol Hist 33, 157–90 Hull, G, 2015, ‘Abbey Retail Park (South), Abbey Road, Barking, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham: An

Archaeological Evaluation’, Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd unpubl rep 15/191, Reading Lockwood, H H, 'Where was the first Barking Abbey?', Barking District Hist Soc Trans, n.s., 1, 1-26 MacGowan, K, 1987, ‘Saxon timber structures from the Barking Abbey excavations 1985-86’, Essex J, 22, 2 MacGowan. K, 1988, ‘Excavations in Essex 1987 – Barking’, Essex Archaeol Hist, 18, 104 MacGowan, K, 1991, ‘Excavations in Essex 1990 – Barking’, Essex Archaeol Hist, 22, 150 MacGowan, K, 1996, ‘Barking Abbey’, Current Archaeol 149, 172-8 MoLAS 2003, A Research Framework for London’s Archaeology, Museum of London, London Redknap, M, 1991, ‘The Saxon Pottery from Barking Abbey: part 1, Local Wares’, London Archaeologist, 6/13, 353–9 Schmid, E,1972, Atlas of Animal Bones, London Serjeantson, D, 2009, Birds, Cambridge Stone, M, 1986, ‘Excavations in Essex 1985 – Barking’, Essex Archaeol Hist 17, 156 Vince, AG, 1985, The Saxon and Medieval Pottery of London: A review, Medieval Archaeology 29, 25-93 WA, 2013, ‘Abbey Retail Park, Barking, archaeological desk-based assessment’, Wardell Armstrong unpubl rep

WM10628, Stoke on Trent WA, 2014, ‘Abbey Retail Park, Barking, archaeological evaluation report’, Wardell Armstrong unpubl rep CP10721/14,

Shaftsbury WA, 2015, ‘Abbey Retail Park (North), Barking. Archaeological deposit modelling report’, Wardell Armstrong unpubl

rep CP11235, West Bromwich Vince, AG, 1985, ‘The Saxon and Medieval Pottery of London: A review’, Medieval Archaeol 29, 25–93

19

APPENDIX 1: Trench details (Dimensions at base of trench)

Trench Length (m) Width (m) Depth (m) Surface level (m above OD)

Comment (levels measured from modern surface)

A 2.00 (SE) 2.50 (NW)

0.60 (SE) 2.00 (NW)

2.80 4.60 0-0.60m (SE), 0-0.70m (NW) reinforced concrete (1051); 0.60/0.70m-1.50/1.60m factory deposits (1052); 1.50/1.60m-2.00/2.10m dumped deposit (1053) top of deposit at 3.12m AOD (SE) and 2.91m AOD (NW), timbers within (1053); 2.00-2.80m + (SE) light grey alluvial clay natural (1054); 2.10-2.50m (NW) dark grey alluvial clay (1055); 2.50-2.70m + natural light grey alluvial clay (1054). [Pls 3-6]

B 9.30 2.00 2.80 4.49 (W) 4.29 (E)

0-0.08m Tarmac (1050); 0.08-0.48m concrete (1051); 0.48-0.68m (E), 0.48-0.88m (W) factory deposits (1052); 0.68-1.88m (E), 0.88-0.78m (W) dumped deposit (1053), top of 1053 at 3.56m AOD (W) and 3.70m AOD (E); ENE-WSW ditch [1] at centre to west of trench. Slot dug into [1] to depth of 2.80m from surface. Surface of [1] 2.68m AOD; natural glacial till clay (1058) at 2.44m AOD. [Pls 7-8]

C 9.00 2.00 2.60 4.30 0-0 08m Tarmac (1050); 0.08-0.38m concrete (1051); 0.38-1.18m (NW) 0.38-1.08m (SE) factory deposits (1052); 1.08/1.18-1.88m dumped deposits (1053). Surface 0f 1053 at 3.70m AOD (NW), 3.56m AOD (SE); Light grey alluvial clay (1054) at W surface at 2.60m AOD; Orangish brown glacial till (1058) at 2.70m AOD. Slot dug at W down to 1.70m AOD onto top of dipping down 1058. [Pls 9-10]

D 5.00 2.00 1.60 4.41 0-0.08m Tarmac (1050); 0.08-0.32m concrete (1051); 0.32-1.26m factory deposits (1052); 1.26-1.44m natural light grey alluvial clay (1054) surface at 3.00m AOD; 1.44-1.64m + natural dark grey alluvial clay (1059). [Pl. 11]

E 5.00 2.00 1.75 4.47 0-0.34m concrete (1051); 0.34-1.66m factory deposits (1052); 1.66-1.75m natural light grey alluvial clay. Surface of 1054 at 2.81m AOD. [Pls 12-13]

20

APPENDIX 2: Catalogue of features and deposits

Cut Deposit Trench Feature type Length (m) Width (m) Depth (m) Finds 1 1061,

1060, 1056, 1057

B Ditch 6.90 + 2.00 + 0.90 + 1061:0.26 1060:0.13 1056:0.09 1057:0.39

2 sherds IPSF, E8thC (1057) 2 pieces wood (1057)

- 1050 B-D Tarmac - - 0.08 - 1051 A-E Concrete - - A:0.60

B:0.40 C:0.30 D:0.24 E:0.34

- 1052 A-E Factory deposits - - A:0.90 B:0.40 (W) B:0.20 (E) C:0.80 (NW) C:0.70 (SE) D:0.94 E:1.36

1 sherd LONS, 2 sherds TPW, 19thC

- 1053 A-C Dumped deposit - - A:0.50 B:1.20 (E) B:0.80 (W) C:0.70 (NW) C:0.80 (SE)

1 sherd CHAH, 1 sherd SSW, M12thC (Trench A), 1 sherd MG, L13thC (Trench C) 4 pieces wood (Trench A)

1053/ 1055

A Mixed deposit - - - 1 sherd IPSSF, 1 sherd LOND, 2 sherds SSW, M12thC

- 1054 A-C, E Light grey alluvial clay - - - 2 sherds CHAF, 5thC - 1055 A Dark bluish grey alluvial clay - - 0.40 2 sherds IPSF, E8thC - 1058 B-C Orangish brown glacial till - - - - 1059 D Dark bluish grey alluvial clay - - -

NB Dimensions are maximums as exposed within trenches. Dates are terminus post quem and all are AD.

21

APPENDIX 3: Pottery occurrence by number and weight (in g) of sherds per context by fabric type

CHAF IPSF LOND SSW MG LONS TPW Tr Deposit No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt Date* A 1052 1 125 2 8 19th A 1053 1 230 1 25 Mid 12th A 1053/1055 1 8 1 9 2 37 Mid 12th A 1055 2 46 Early 8th A 1054 2 36 5th B U/S 1 30 - B 1057 2 121 Early 8th C 1053 1 4 Late 13th Total 3 266 6 205 1 9 3 62 1 4 1 125 2 8

* Century AD: terminus post quem in all cases

22

APPENDIX 4: Ceramic Building Material

Trench Cut Deposit Type No Wt (g) A 1053 Dumped deposit 26 1516.5 B 1053 Dumped deposit 5 1216.5 C 1053 Dumped deposit 4 1361 A 1055 Alluvium 30 3107.5 A 1054 Alluvium 3 873 B 1 1057 Ditch 12 962.5 Total 80 9037

23

APPENDIX 5: Animal bone inventory

Trench Cut Deposit No. Frags Wt (g) Cattle Pig Sheep/ Goat

Bird Large Medium Unid Notes

C - 1053 2 58 1 1 Cutmarks A - 1053/

1055 19 235.5 1 1 3 4 8 2 Sliced, un-fused

elements B 1 1057 35 954.5 3 3 5 6 8 10 Sliced, un-fused

elements, cutmarks

Total 56 1248

24

APPENDIX 6: Timbers

Cat. No. Trench Cut Deposit Length (m) Diameter (mm) 1 B 1 1057 0.072 28 2 B 1 1057 0.11 60 3 A 1053 1.3 140 4 A 1053 0.38 35 5 A 1053 0.41 55 6 A 1053 0.62 78

25

APPENDIX 7: Oasis Form

�� !�� "�#�� !��$�%�� &��

��'�� !��%��$� ��%�

��(��'��

��!�)��'�*+,-./0/

��

��

��

�!��!��"��#��$��!��%&��"��$��!��'��!��% ��$��#��"�% ��!��"��$��!��!��"��"��"��#��"!�"��#��"��'��% ��"��!��$��!��'��!��#��%&��!��"��!��"��!��$��!��!��#�� %

�� ()*'+,',+)-.�(,/'+,',+)-

��!��"�0�"�"��#��

1��01��

��

��)2'��

��

��)2'3"��"��45

��

)/0)6)'7��8��%

&�� !��"��

��"� ��

7"��9��"�� 4�"��7��:'��

3�"�� 54&7;.��3��!��

�� 7.� 347�3��!��

��

��! "#�# �$" %�"&�!'��

�� 7.� 347�.��3��!��

�� 7.� 347��

�� &43�.��8��

3��<��="��

>>5��"��>>�>>��&��>>�>>&��&��>>

5�!�� 8��%�%��%�

�� #��'��

��

��"��% ��

��

7�"�� .��

�� ?�. &.�9@�5@�� A4�? �55 ?.�; 3� �A4�? ��

��"�� ,%+B;��

�� &C2:*/*2++/)%/:-+2*2/B2+)+%+B2:,/B,:,2//):,+6�++++2,B.��

;��@505�� 3�()%--�3�$(:%)/�

��

��@��

&��D�� !��

��

.��;��05��.!��

��

��!� ��

��0��

��!� ��

��"��!�� ?��;"��

&��0�"��

5�!��

��0�"��

E��9��

��!�'��

�� !��

3"��"��9��

�� !�45

��)2

��7�� >> ��>>�>>7��>>�>>E��>>

��

$��! "#�# �$" %�"&�!'��

��

��'��;��.��@ �4��!��

5�� !��

3"��"��9��

5�� !�45 ��)2

5��7�� >>��>>

5��3��!��

>>4��0��>>

�� !��

3"��"��9��

�� !�45 ��)2

��7�� >> ��>>�>>7��>>�>>��>>�>>�"�!��>>�>>E��>>

��3��!��

>>7��$��>>�>>7��>>�>>5��#��>>�>>3��>>�>>3��>>�>>3��"�3��>>�>>��>>�>>��>>�>>��>>�>>��>>�>>�"�!��>>

��(�(��#!$�*

�"��?��"��"�"��"��0��"��

&�� 9��"��5��(��!��"��

"��0.�� ;"��?

@��

)/0)6)�

5�� ,+)-

4��"��"�� &��D�� !��

��"��"��

��

5�� 2��'��"��

8�9 ��(00�!��%��%"�0��0��%��

.�� !��!��F�!��%��%"��

.�� :)3��,+)-

��

#��! "#�# �$" %�"&�!'��

G 5�)66-',+),7��H�?��H�3��9��E��63��,+),��

��

!��! "#�# �$" %�"&�!'��

83000

84000

TQ44000 45000

SITE

Abbey Retail Park (North), Abbey Road, Barking,London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, 2016

Archaeological EvaluationFigure 1. Location of site within Barking and London.

ABR14

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Explorer 162 at 1:12500Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880

SITE


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 2. Detailed layout of site, with evaluation trenches.

Based on Ordnance Survey mapping, Crown Copyright reserved.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 3. Plans of Trenches A and B.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 4. Plans of Trenches C, D and E.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 5. Sections of of Trenches A-E.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 6. Site plan showing evaluation trenches, boreholes and

interpretation.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 7. Cross-sections A-A', B-B' and C-C'.

Vertical scale exaggerated x2

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 8. Cross-section D-D'.Vertical scale exaggerated x2

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 9. 1653 Fanshawe map with archaeological sites, predicted mar-gins of march, and archaeological features superimposed (after Curtis

2006)

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 10. 1807 plan of 'Mr Smith's Grounds' with archaeological sites, predicted margins of marsh, and archaeological features superimposed

(after Curtis 2006)

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationFigure 11. Barking tithe map (surveyed 1840),with archaeological sites, predicted margins of marsh, and archaeological features superimposed.

ABR14


Archaeological EvaluationPlates 1 and 2.

ABR14

Plate 2. General view of site. Looking north-east

Plate 1. General view of site. Looking south-east



ABR14

Plate 4. Trench A. Slot at south-east end. Looking south-east. Scales 2m

Plate 3. Trench A. Slot at south-east end. Showing made ground over dumped deposits. Alluvium at base. Looking north-west. Scale 2m



ABR14

Plate 6. Trench A. Slot at north-west. Looking north. Scales 2m

Plate 5. Trench A. Timbers from deposit 1053. Scale 1m


Archaeological EvaluationPlate 7.

ABR14

Plate 7. Trench B. Slot at in Ditch 1. Looking east. Scale 2m



ABR14

Plate 9. Trench C. Upper deposits. Looking north. Scales 2m

Plate 8. Trench B. Ditch 1 with slot. Looking north-east. Scales 2m, 1m and 0.5m



ABR14

Plate 11. Trench D. Looking north-west. Scales 2m

Plate 10. Trench C. Base deposits. Looking north. Scales 2m



ABR14

Plate 13. Trench E. Timber. Scale 1m

Plate 12. Trench E. Looking south-west. Scales 2m



ABR14

Plate 15. Photograph c. 1919.

Plate 14. Pen and ink drawing of Barking Church from the River Roding. A. B. Bamford 1894

TIME CHART

Calendar Years

Modern AD 1901

Victorian AD 1837

Post Medieval AD 1500

Medieval AD 1066

Saxon AD 410

Roman AD 43BC/AD

Iron Age 750 BC

Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC

Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC

Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC

Neolithic: Late 3300 BC

Neolithic: Early 4300 BC

Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC

Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC

Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC

Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC

Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd,47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading,

Berkshire, RG1 5NR

Tel: 0118 9260552Fax: 0118 9260553

Email: [email protected]: www.tvas.co.uk

t h a m e s v a l l e y archaeological · march 2016. i thames valley archaeological services ltd,...

Documents