BTR Works, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex

An Archaeological Evaluation

for Tesco Stores Ltd

by Sarah Coles 

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code WABT03

June 2003

Summary

Site name: BTR Works Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex Grid reference: TL 3860 0035 Site activity: Evaluation Date and duration of project: 22nd–28th May Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Sarah Coles Site code: WABT03 Area of site: 3.2 ha Summary of results: No archaeological deposits or artefacts were observed on site. It would appear the entire site was truncated of topsoil prior to the construction of the BTR works. Several areas disturbance were noted. A photographic record was made of the buildings prior to demolition. Monuments identified: None Location and reference of archive: The site archive is currently held by Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 5NR and will be deposited with Waltham Abbey Museum in due course. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 20.06.03 Steve Preston 20.06.03

i

BTR Works, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex An Archaeological Evaluation

by Sarah Coles

Report 01/69b

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at the former BTR Works,

Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex (TL 3860 0035) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Mike

Ward of Tesco Stores Ltd, PO Box 400, Cirrus Building, Shire Park, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7

1AB.

Planning permission has been granted by Epping Forest District Council to redevelop the site for a retail

outlet. The proposed development will include a retail unit, a clinic, parking for 380 vehicles, a petrol filling

station and related services, access roads and landscaping. A desktop assessment (Preston 2001) examined the

archaeological potential of the site and concluded that due to the proximity of the site to the margins of the

historic core of the town, its size and other finds within the area, a field evaluation would need to be

implemented. This was to assess the archaeological potential of the site and provide information with which to

draw up an appropriate mitigation strategy prior to groundworks if necessary. It was also suggested that a

photographic record of the factory structures be made prior to demolition.

This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology

and Planning (PPG16 1990), and the District policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to

a specification approved by Ms Vanessa Clark, Heritage Group, Planning Department, Essex County Council,

County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH. The fieldwork was undertaken by Sarah Coles and Julie Cassidy on the

22nd-28th May 2003, and the site code is WABT03. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley

Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Waltham Abbey Museum in due course.

Location, topography and geology

The site is located on the east side of Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey (Fig. 2), opposite the fire station. It is

bounded by Sewardstone Road (A112) to the west, by the rear gardens of houses fronting Denny Avenue to the

south, by a pond to the north-east, and by other buildings on all other sides. The development area (3.2ha) is

located on London Clay (BGS 1981). This was observed during the field evaluation. The site lies at a height of

c.20m above Ordnance Datum.

1

The entire area around the Waltham Abbey is on the Metropolitan Green Belt and much of the core of the

town (although not the area under consideration here) is a Conservation Area. The town has been designated a

‘Historic Town’ by Essex County Council.

Prior to the archaeological evaluation all buildings on the Britannica Works site had been demolished to

slab level. The site was situated on level ground with elevated factory floor levels and a slight slope from west-

east rising up from Sewardstone Road.

Archaeological background

A desk-based assessment (Preston 2001) detailed the development of Waltham Abbey from a village with a

church founded by Earl Tovi in c. AD 1030, to the expansion of the Abbey and lands by Henry II. The Abbey

was formally instituted in 1184, and the town was given the right to hold markets and fairs by Richard I. The

Abbey was the last to succumb to Dissolution. Archaeological investigations on the Abbey site show its origins

are much earlier than documentary sources suggest as evidenced by the finding of a 7th century timber church on

the site.

The town itself is poorly documented by historical records, but it is well represented in the archaeological

record as documented by the Sites and Monuments Record. Excavations and evaluations undertaken within the

historic core of the town produced features and artefacts dating predominantly from the Saxon and Medieval

period with the occasional Roman feature and persistent traces of Roman stray finds. Significant prehistoric

finds have also been recorded in the town and nearby. The closest archaeological find to the development site

was a stray Roman coin from the west side of Sewardstone Road.

Cartographic sources indicate that the core of the early post-medieval town lay immediately to the north-

west of the site and documentary records make no reference to the medieval town having stretched out as far as

the site. Prior to 1935 and the construction of the BTR works the site was fields.

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the presence/absence, extent, condition, character, quality and

date of any archaeological deposits within the area of development, and the specific research aims were:

To determine if any Roman occupation deposits are present in the vicinity

To determine if any medieval or early Post-Medieval deposits are present reflecting a larger extent of

the historic core of the town.

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To consider the industrial archaeological/historic building potential of the site.

To photographically record the structures before demolition.

Evaluation trenches

Eleven trenches were positioned to examine the footprints of the proposed new buildings but were located to

ensure that they covered the entire site. Trenches 5, 6, and 9 were moved from their intended positions to avoid

highly contaminated areas of the site. Trench 7 was moved northwards due to the location of underground tanks.

The trenches were approximately 20m long and 1.80m wide. The concrete and overburden were removed

by a breaker and toothed bucket. A 360° type machine with a toothless bucket was used to dig to the

archaeologically relevant level. The trenches were dug under constant archaeological supervision. All spoil

heaps were monitored for finds.

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

Appendix 1.

Results

The eleven trenches were dug in the positions shown in Figure 3 and ranged in length from 17m to 23m.

Trenches 1, 2, 3, 5 and 11

Trenches 1 and 11 were oriented north–south and were respectively 17m and 21m long. Trench 3 was positioned

north west- south east and was 19.4m long. Trenches 2 and 5 were aligned east–west and were 20m and 21m

long. The stratigraphy in these trenches revealed 0.20–0.35m of concrete onto 0.40m–1.00m of 20th-century

made ground onto London clay.

No archaeology was observed and no finds were retrieved.

Trenches 4, 7, 8 and 9

Trench 4 was aligned north–south and Trench 7 east–west: both were 21.7m long. Trench 8 was oriented north–

south and Trench 9, east–west, these were 22.3m and 21.0m long. The stratigraphy in these trenches consisted of

0.10–0.20m of concrete onto 0.17–0.45m of brick rubble made ground, onto London clay.

At the northern end of Trench 4 was a 20th-century pit, 4.50m long, which contained straw mixed with a

black oily fill. A testpit was dug through the pit to establish the depth at which clean London clay appeared. The

geology was clean at 2.15m deep. Trench 7 had a 20th-century pit full of contaminated waste, which was 1.80m

long and 0.60m wide.

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Three other testpits were observed in trenches 7, 8,and 9 which were dug to take samples for contamination

tests.

No archaeology was observed and no artefacts were recovered in these trenches.

Trenches 6 and 10

Trenches 6 and 10 were oriented north east- south west and were 23.0m and 21.7m long respectively. The

stratigraphy in trench 6 consisted of 0.20m concrete onto concrete footings and London clay at the south west

end of the trench. This trench filled with dark green ground water and smelt of ammonia and sulphur.

Trench 10 consisted of 0.20m concrete onto 0.55m mid brown clay silt and brick rubble made ground onto

concrete footings. The trench was heavily contaminated with oil-like substances. No archaeology was present.

Finds

No finds were retrieved.

Building Recording

Prior to demolition of the existing structures, a digital photographic survey was carried out by the project

surveyors (Atkins Faithful and Gould). Forty-seven pictures were taken, mostly of the exterior of the structures.

These pictures are catalogued in Appendix 2 and their locations shown on Figure 5.

Conclusion

No archaeological deposits were observed, nor finds recovered from any of the trenches. The absence of any

topsoil or buried topsoil on this site indicate that some truncation has taken place and that this may have been

sufficient to have removed the archaeologically relevant levels. Several areas were also heavily disturbed by

foundations, service runs and buried facilities such as interceptor tanks. It can be concluded therefore, that the

site has no archaeological potential.

References BGS, 1981, British Geological Survey, 1:50 000, Sheet 240, Drift Edition, Keyworth PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO Preston, S, 2001, BTR Works, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex , An archaeological desk-based

assessment, Thames Valley Archaeological Services, report 01/69, Reading

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APPENDIX 1: Trench details 0m at S or W end

Trench No. Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment 1 17.00 1.80 N1.40 S1.40 0.15m concrete onto 0.25m brick rubble onto 0.75m mid brown

clayey silt and brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. No archaeology, no finds. [Plate 2]

2 20.00 1.80 E0.80 W1.10 0.20m concrete onto 0.40m mid brown sandy silt and brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. No archaeology, no finds.

3 19.40 1.80 E1.45 W1.40 0.30m concrete onto 0.60m brick rubble and sand, onto 0.10m coal dust (made ground) onto London clay. Trench contained live service (water). No archaeology, no finds.

4 21.70 1.80 N2.15 S0.80 0.20m concrete onto 0.30m brick rubble onto London clay. No archaeology, no finds. Testpit dug at N end to bottom modern 20th C pit, contaminated with black oil mixed with straw.

5 21.00 1.80 E1.10W1.10 0.20m concrete onto 0.40m mid brown clayey silt and brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. No archaeology, no finds. [Plate 1]

6 23.00 1.80 NE0.10 SW0.60

0.20m concrete onto concrete footings and London clay. Trench filled with a dark green groundwater, smelt of ammonia and sulphur. No archaeology, no finds.

7 21.70 1.80 E1.30 W0.70 0.10m concrete onto 0.30m brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. Testpit dug at E end for contamination tests. Trench contained a 20th C pit full of oil contamination.

8 22.30 1.80 N1.70 S0.40 0.13m concrete onto 0.17m brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. Testpit dug at N end for contamination tests.

9 21.00 1.80 E 1.15 W0.70 0.15m concrete onto 0.45m brick rubble (made ground) onto London clay. Testpit dug at E end for contamination tests.

10 21.70 1.80 NE1.80 SW0.70

0.25m concrete onto 0.55m mid brown clayey silt and brick rubble and sand (made ground) onto concrete footing. Trench was contaminated with oil like substances. No archaeology, no finds.

11 21.00 1.80 N1.80 S1.70 0.35m concrete onto 0.45m redeposited clay onto mid brown clayey silt, brick rubble and gravel (made ground) onto London clay. This trench was contaminated with oil to a depth of 1.50m.

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APPENDIX 2: Catalogue of photographs of structures prior to demolition No Description Looking towards 1 Boundary of site WNW 2 Boundary of site and access gate NW 3 Building A NE 4 Building A NW 5 Building B N 6 Buildings A and C ENE 7 Building C SE 8 Buildings C and D SSE 9 Buildings C and D SSE 10 Interior of Buildings C E 11 Building E W 12 Building D SW 13 Building C canopy NE 14 Buildings G and H SE 15 Building C canopy E 16 Building H ENE 17 Buildings F, G and D SSE 18 Building D SW 19 Building H E 20 Buildings D and F SW 21 Buildings G, H and I NE 22 Building D NW 23 Building L NNE 24 Building F ENE 25 Building M SW 26 Building M SE 27 Buildings F and N ENE 28 Buildings N and M S 29 Building M SW 30 Buildings N and G ENE 31 Building G NE 32 Building J E 33 Interior of Building G W 34 Building K NNE 35 Building J SE 36 Buildings J and I ENE 37 Interior of Building J SE 38 Buildings J and O SSE 39 Facilities by Building K NW 40 Interior of Building O WNW 41 Building H NW 42 Site of demolished Building P NE 43 Building I ENE 44 Building I and J SE 45 Buildings K and G WSW 46 Site of demolished Building P NE 47 Buildings K and G S 48 Canopy of Building C NW

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BTR Works, Sewardstone Road,Waltham Abbey, Essex, 2003

Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 1. Location of site within Waltham Abbey andEssex

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder TL20/30 at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence AL52324A0001

SITE

01000

02000

TL38000 39000 WABT03

SITE

Chelmsford

Basildon

SouthendBrentwood

Harlow

Colchester

BTR Works, Sewardstone Road,Waltham Abbey, Essex, 2003

Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 2. Location of site showing former buildings.

00300

00400

TL38500 38600 38700

SITE

WABT03

N

0 200m

N

BTR Works, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex, 2003

0 100m

Figure 3. Location of trenches.

11

5

3

4

67

8

2

10

9

1

TL38500 38600 38700

00300

00400

Sew

ards

tone

Roa

d

Denny Avenue

Pond

Howard Close

WABT03

BTR Works, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex, 2003

Figure 4. Representative Sections.

1m0

Concrete

Trench 5

0m 2mW E

Concrete

19m 21m

Redeposited clay

Made ground

Clay (natural?)(oil stained)

Trench 11

Made ground

Clay (natural)

S N

Clay (natural)(clean)

21.50m AOD

20.78m

WABT03

BTR Works, Sewardstone Road,Waltham Abbey, Essex, 2003

Archaeological EvaluationFigure 5. Location of Building Recording

Photographs.

SITE

WABT03

N

A

B

C

DE

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

(P)

1

4 5

7

89

1011

12

20

21

22

23

24

2526

2728

29

30

31

3233

48

47 45

464243

4441

3435

36

37 38

39

40

1314

15

16

17

18

19

6

2 3

Plate 1: Trench 5 looking east. Scales 2m and 1m

Plate 2: Trench 1 looking north west. Scales 2m and 1m WABT03

Plate 3: Building H looking north-east.

Plate 4: Building D looking south-west.