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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Wiltshire » The Lawns, Swindon (+ sarsens/A D Passmore) |
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GnK 6 posts |
Sep 28, 2017, 15:00
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THE LAWNS: EXTREMELY RAPID ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT 2017 From Wiltshire SMR: MWI16147 - SU18SE058 The Lawns - Mesolithic flint tools were found during fieldwork. SU 1610 8360 (map quarter sheet SU18SE) MWI16365 - SU18SE625 Area around Immanual and Christ Church - A possible stone circle and a line of sarsen stones were recorded by A D Passmore . Grid reference . SU 1603 8407 (map quarter sheet SU18SE) . Monument type: Stone Setting: (An arrangement of one or more standing stones. Use particularly for isolated recumbent stones, or where original form of monument unclear.) Period: Unknown . Description and sources : “A possible stone circle and a line of sarsen stones were recorded by A D Passmore in a large field behind Christ Church. He thought that some of them formed a stone circle, but this may be dubious.” . . . MWI16157 - SU18SE107 Lloyds Bank High St Old Town – Neolithic flint and ceramic (don’t know how much – mortlake-type present and polished axe) 1977 MWI16172 - SU18SE153 Market Square - A fragment of Bronze-Age pottery (cremation urn) and an arrowhead. SU 1595 8368 (map quarter sheet SU18SE) MWI16173 - SU18SE154 Cricklade Street - A Late Bronze-Age spearhead (probably funerary). -National Monuments Record, 013 SU 1568 8389 (map quarter sheet SU18SE) MWI16195 - SU18SE207 Market Square Old Town - Iron-age pottery fragments.SU 1595 8368 (map quarter sheet SU18SE) MWI74822 - SU18SE461 Ridge and Furrow, Old Town - Ridge and furrow visible on aerial photographs. National Monuments Record, 001 – also see LIDAR Topography – small shallow valleys with Mesolithic scatters and later prehistoric funerary monuments – likely areas of activity on highest ground west, under Old Town. Potential stone circle on north side of the Lawns is of note – similar connection to small spring and setting to Coate. Areas of high priority for lithic scatters are clearly in the areas to the south of the Lawns (former Church Farm) and the beyond that into the varied topography south of there. The ridge and furrow area could be an unknown quantity – ie it has not been disturbed since late medieval times, therefore surface finds can be expected to be virtually absent unless the ground has been eroded or disturbed in recent times (foot paths etc). Also cropmarks and LIDAR could be masked by ridge and furrow, and depending on the geology, geophysics also. A scaled assessment of the potential would be recommended – hand-dug test pits to asses ground conditions and depths and artefact distributions > ideally combined with geophysics >well before any machine-dug trial trenching, if it ever came to that. Overall there what the ‘potential’ for the Lawns area as a whole, the rapidly diminishing archaeological resources on the high ground and low hills, especially between Old Town and Commonhead, demands that full efforts should be made to get as much information as possible from whatever is left. There are known prehistoric sites along 3 sides of the Lawns – each has been built upon, but the peripheries of this sites might still remain undisturbed. These should be treated as valuable heritage assets for Swindon, if they can be located, and not ‘low grade’ “residual “ archaeology.
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Dec 12, 2017, 22:16
Sep 28, 2017, 19:59
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This is brilliant. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to do this and post it here. I will read, digest and refer back to when and if the need arises. Too much valuable heritage, both prehistoric and historic has been disappeared under the ravishes of development. Very much appreciated. PS: thanks too for your other post - I will link up with the 'Commonhead' page on FB.
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Mrs Ahab 1138 posts |
Sep 29, 2017, 18:38
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There are i think 2 very large sarsens in the lawns that i recal.
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GnK 6 posts |
Sep 30, 2017, 14:16
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thanks - very useful - haven't actually been in there myself - maybe needs a visit...
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Mrs Ahab 1138 posts |
Dec 12, 2017, 18:06
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In fact what you describe is whats still there. My memory served me wrong. There is a clear arc of stones with several more in the trees. Then a small row of stones . i also noticed in the undergrowth a small wall probably build of the same stone.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Dec 30, 2017, 11:33
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Hi June, I need to send you something. Could you email me at nigelswiftATaoldotcom? Thanks
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tjj 3606 posts |
Dec 30, 2017, 20:06
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nigelswift wrote: Hi June, I need to send you something. Could you email me at nigelswiftATaoldotcom? Thanks Ooh! Intrigued - I will do Nigel. Wishing you and everyone a happy and healthy 2018. How time flies :)
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Dec 30, 2017, 20:39
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Puzzling email just sent....
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Mrs Ahab 1138 posts |
Jan 08, 2018, 13:23
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Im now completley fascinated with this. Consider there is a church which dates back to at least 1100 on the same site. There ate two spings in the park and both coate and the demolished circle at burdrop are close by. Is anyone else in this thread and local? Id love to be in touch and find out more if anyone knows , maybe meet up for a walk there.
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Jan 08, 2018, 20:29
Jan 08, 2018, 16:49
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Mrs Ahab wrote: Im now completley fascinated with this. Consider there is a church which dates back to at least 1100 on the same site. There ate two spings in the park and both coate and the demolished circle at burdrop are close by. Is anyone else in this thread and local? Id love to be in touch and find out more if anyone knows , maybe meet up for a walk there. Hello Mrs Ahab, great to hear of your interest. I am local and The Lawns is one of my favourite local places. I have an A4 size booklet which I bought several years ago from the museum in Old Town by Denis Bird titled "The Story of Holy Rood" - if they still have it, worth getting hold of. He believed Holy Rood Church is built on an ancient burial mound. There is archaeological evidence in the Old Town Museum that the Lawns was the site of early prehistoric settlement. I personally like to think (with no evidence to back it up as such) that this settlement probably had connections with whatever was going on in Avebury. All the best, please stay enthused as a while back the Old Town Traders were quite supportive to the possibility of nicking part of the Lawns as a car park to facilitate Old Town development plans. Thankfully, that all seems to have gone quiet just for now, but I'm watching .... tjj
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