| Summary: | This report presents the results of archaeological evaluation trenching carried out by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) on land adjacent to Hutton, Langleigh lane, Ilfracombe, Devon. The site is located on the south west of Ilfracombe on the site of a farmstead which was demolished through the late 19th and 20th centuries. A farmstead at Langleigh was first recorded in the 14th century.
The excavation identified a total of 31 archaeological features and to some extent validates the results of the geophysical survey, identifying a series of structural features associated with the presence of post-medieval buildings on the site. It also demonstrated that much of the site had been covered by demolition deposits which masked the survival of archaeological features; whilst modern disturbance was also identified. Whilst the majority of the features did not produce dating evidence, four main phases of activity (with individual sub-phases) could be identified, including: pre-19th century structures; buildings recorded on the mid-19th century tithe map; later 19th to early 20th century development of the site; and 20th century clearance of the site.
The survival of structural remains, particularly at the southern end of trench 01, indicates that further structural remains are likely to be encountered in this area and will require further archaeological mitigation through record prior to or in conjunction with development of the site. The archaeological potential of much of the evaluated area is limited, much of the evidence having been lost during episodes of demolition. Towards the southern edge (the southern end of trench 01 and eastern end of trench 02), however there is much better preservation, and is likely to justify a strip-map-sample exercise in order to better characterise the identified features and where possible provide more substantive dating evidence for the construction of the buildings. |
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