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Hetchell Court, Bardsey, Leeds; Archaeological Watching Brief
Report No. 06003: Hetchell Court, Bardsey, Leeds; Archaeological
Watching Brief. June 2006
Report Author: Guy Hopkinson. Web version.
Ordnance Survey based figures replaced with GoogleMaps for copyright reasons.
Hard copy available at West Yorkshire SMR.
1.0 Introduction
This document presents the results of an archaeological watching brief carried out at Hetchell Court, Bardsey, on behalf of Park Lane Homes during April and May 2006.
Despite historical evidence suggesting that this area may have been associated in the past with the tanning industry, during the course of the site groundworks no archaeological features or deposits were encountered. It therefore appears that the site remained relatively unexploited until being used as domestic gardens.
The author would like to thank Andrea Burgess of the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, Ben Smith of Park Lane Homes and Andy Turner, architect for the development, for their co-operation and assistance throughout the project.
2.0 Site Location, Topography & Land Use
The development site is located in Bardsey, West Yorkshire, at National Grid Reference 436932 443387. This lies within the township of Bardsey-cum-Rigton, and is approximately two kilometres north of Leeds City Centre.
The site is immediately to the east of the A58 Wetherby Road, and rises steeply from the road to the east. It currently forms domestic gardens to houses fronting Wood Lane.
Figure 1. Site Location. NGR 436932 443387.
3.0 Archaeological Background
The site lies within an area of potential archaeological interest as recorded on the West Yorkshire Historic Environment Record. The earliest settlement at Bardsey is though to have been to the west of the current A58 Wetherby Road, clustered around the Norman motte and bailey castle and the Anglo-Saxon All Hallow's Church, probably along Church Lane, expanding further eastwards in later periods.
While relatively little is known regarding the development site itself, it is depicted on an 1815 estate map, and is named 'Tan House Close' and therefore thought to potentially contain remains relating to the tanning industry. It was for this reason that an archaeological watching brief condition was imposed on the development.
4.0 Aims & Objectives
The aims and objectives of the watching brief were to identify and record the presence or absence of any archaeological features or deposits that might be disturbed during groundworks, and to record the condition, character, extent and date of any such features or deposits.
5.0 Methodology
The initial groundworks were monitored by an archaeologist. These groundworks consisted of a topsoil strip of the entire site (apart from a narrow strip approximately one metre wide up the centre of the site where the presence of a live gas main prevented work taking place during the period of the watching brief) and subsequent ground level reduction.
During the topsoil strip an archaeologist was on site to monitor the works. Any areas of soil discolouration or variation were rapidly hand cleaned and assessed for their archaeological potential. Soil removed during the groundworks was scanned for artefacts. The topsoil strip revealed no archaeological features or deposits.
Following the topsoil strip, ground level reduction was started to create a series of terraces up the slope of the site. Part of the ground level reduction was monitored by an archaeologist, but this merely confirmed the lack of archaeological features or deposits on the site, and the watching brief was curtailed with the agreement of West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service on the 4th May 2006. Monitoring visits were made on the 19th, 20th, 27th and 28th April and 2nd and 3rd May 2006.
Each deposit encountered during the groundworks was recorded using standard single context recording techniques in a database on a handheld Palm OS device, and synchronised with an Access database at the end of each site visit. Working photographs were taken using a Canon EOS 350D digital SLR camera.
Figure 2 shows the area subject to topsoil stripping and archaeological monitoring. Areas excluded to ensure protection of existing trees are shaded in grey.
Figure 2. Area subject to topsoil strip & archaeological monitoring.
6.0 Results
No archaeological features or deposits were encountered during the archaeological monitoring of the development groundworks. The context sequence comprised natural overlain by topsoil.
The natural was fairly variable across the site, but generally consisted of areas of orange brown sandy clay silt mixed with areas of mottled pure clay (red brown, pale grey, orange brown). This was very disturbed by tree roots in places, and contained frequent sandstone inclusions.
The topsoil varied between 10 centimetres in depth at the top of the slope to a maximum of 20 centimetres at the foot of the slope. This consisted of a friable mid to dark grey brown silty clay loam. The interface between natural and topsoil was very distinct at the top of the slope, gradually becoming slightly diffuse towards the foot of the slope.
The site also proved remarkably devoid of artefacts; apart from the occasional surface fragment of modern glass and plant pot, only two artefacts were recovered. These comprised a short length of unmarked clay pipe stem (33 millimetres in length and 7 millimetres diameter) and a fragment of post-medieval Willow Pattern pottery (22 by 14 millimetres). Having been noted, these artefacts were then discarded.
7.0 Conclusions
No archaeological features were encountered within the development site, and very little artefactual evidence was retrieved. It would therefore appear that given the steep gradient of the site it was not well suited to past domestic, agricultural or industrial exploitation. It is likely to have remained generally unused until being enclosed as a domestic garden.
8.0 Archive
No physical archive was generated during the watching brief, all recording having been carried out digitally. Appendix 1 of this report provides a hard copy of the context data.
The finds were of recent date, and having been noted were discarded on site.
9.0 Plates
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| Plate 1. General shot prior to work commencing | Plate 2. Working shot, stripping the northeastern area of site | Plate 3. Working shot, view of site from the southeast | Plate 4. Terracing in the southeastern corner of the site |
