Guildford fire station, Guildford, Surrey
6 - Post-determination assessment/evaluation identified heritage assets of national importance or substantial in scale and complexity
Post-determination archaeological evaluation (in the absence of any work pre-determination) revealed archaeology of national importance and/or archaeology of a scale and complexity that the resources required for mitigation affected the viability of the development.
7 - Pre-commencement archaeological conditions were attached to a planning permission
Pre-commencement archaeological conditions were attached to a planning permission and were necessary in order to enable the development to be permitted.
Undesignated heritage assets with archaeological and historic interest
Erection of a replacement fire station, ancillary buildings and residential dwellings.
The HER recorded that Mesolithic flints had been recovered from allotments at the rear of the fire station.
Appropriate archaeological assessment and evaluation were undertaken, with unremarkable results, revealing a small number of ditches of Roman date and some residual Mesolithic flints.
A planning permission was given with a pre-commencement archaeological planning condition attached.
Subsequent excavation revealed a hitherto unknown nationally important Palaeolithic flint working site in situ. The evaluation had comprised a 5% sample of the available development area and the Palaeolithic site was revealed once the area had been stripped in order to investigate further the Roman ditches. Due to the small size of the in situ Palaeolithic scatter (c. 5 x 5m) the evaluation would have been unlikely to have discovered it, unless one of the trenches was placed directly over it.
Subsequent investigations caused issues for the developer, although they were fully supportive of the work and the results.
The substantial scatter of worked flint has been assigned to either the Creswellian or Federmesser industries of the Late Glacial period. The assemblage was found in an exceptional state of preservation stratified within sand deposits and is likely to represent the in situ remains of a Later Upper Palaeolithic temporary campsite.
Open air sites of this period, representing the first re-colonisation of the British Isles following the Last Glacial Maximum, are exceptionally rare. The Guildford site is therefore considered to be of national importance. Due to the significance, elements of the post–excavation analysis (flint refitting and microwear analysis) were funded by Historic England.
A publication about this nationally important site in now preparation.
Research papers presented at conferences.
- Oxford Archaeology 2014, Guildford Fire Station, Guildford, Surrey, Post Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design. Unpublished report.
