| Summary: | This report presents the results of a desk-based appraisal walkover survey and geophysical survey on land off Worth Road, Ilfracombe as part of a planning submission for proposed residential development of the land.
The site comprises two fields surrounded by the modern developments of Ilfracombe. It falls within land designated on the Historic Landscape Characterisation as Medieval enclosures based on strip fields.
Although there is evidence for prehistoric activity in the area, nearer the coast, most of the recorded archaeology within the immediate vicinity is post-medieval or modern in date. The walkover survey also only identified modern disturbance within the two fields.
The geophysical survey identified 8 groups of anomalies along with evidence of geological variation and modern ground disturbance. The anomaly groups identified included, three possible ditch features (Groups 1, 5 and 6), four possible ditch and bank field boundary divisions or drainage features (Groups 2 and 7), a possible pit, tree-throw or other natural feature (Group 3) and 13 recent trial pits (Groups 4 and 8).
Whilst all of the features identified by the geophysical survey are inherently undated, the linear anomalies are suggestive of boundary or drainage features. If boundaries, they do not appear on historic mapping and can be presumed to pre-date the 19th century and reflect previous phases of field-system. They are most likely to date to the post-medieval period as their alignment largely matches those of the existing field-system. Other anomalies indicate historic drainage features, most probably dating to the post-medieval and later periods.
Any development of the site is likely to encounter and destroy the buried archaeological resource, and whilst there is high potential suggested by the surrounding prehistoric landscape, the results of the geophysical survey suggest that the archaeological potential of the site is low. |
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