Introduction

Five trenches were dug (A-E, see plan) using a small mechanical excavator with a two-foot wide bucket. The total length of the trenches excavated was 35.5m and in area of c. 972 square meters; this represents a sample of about 2.5%.

The location of the trenches was constricted to a certain extent by the location of garden sheds and trees.

Natural gravel was reached only in Trenches D and E at a depth of 0.8m and 1.0m respectively below ground level (cr 25.56m and 25.52m above O.D.), and at the extreme of the southern end of Trench A at 1.8m below ground level (or 24.81m above C.D.). The rest of Trench A and Trenches B and C were excavated to the maximum depth achievable, but totally archaeologically sterile deposits were not reached.

This indicates that the northern half of the field, .near the River Thames is made ground or naturally accumulated sediments with an original waterfront lying somewhere between Trench C and Trenches D/E, and running southeast towards the southern end of Trench A.

The Archaeology

Under an archaeologically uninteresting dark brown sandy clay loam topsoil (A/1) was a mixed fine gravelly deposit of variable, though generally light brown or grey colour, containing small fragments of brick or tile (A/2, A/6). It was a relatively recent date, overlying a land drain in the extreme northern end of the trench and directly underlying the gravelly metalling of a garden path (A/5) in the southern end.

Under this was a dark brown or greyish brown, fairly gravelly loamy clay (A/7) running almost the entire length of the trench and dipping at the extreme northern end of the trench A/4). A/4 contained fairly frequent flecks of charcoal., some animal bone (?pig) and occasional sherds of pottery, including an organically tempered (Early Saxon?) rim sherd and other of late Saxon/early Medieval date,

These layers were underlain by a series of interleaved clay layers, tending to dip slightly northwards:

Underneath these layers at the northern end of the trench was encountered the right edge of a ditch or gully (A/12) running more or less northeast (i.e. almost lengthwise along trench A) and sloping steeply northwards at a gradient about 1:12.5. The dimensions of this feature were not ,discovered.

It was filled with a dark grey very sandy and gravelly clay A/16 which overlay the side of the feature to a certain extent and made its edge obscure except lower down where it cut the natural gravel. This sediment contained a few sherds of Medieval ( 11-12th century') date and a fragment of brick or tile.

The gully cut a dark grey silty clay (A/17 - not in section) which was very similar to the fill of the gully but rather less gravelly

Under 3O-4O cm of dark grey-brown sandy clay loam topsoil B/? Was a man-made surface of light orange-brown very sandy and gravelly clay c. 30 cm thick. This in turn overlay a loose gravelly layer containing abundant quantities of 19th century brick, pottery and glass. This was excavated to a depth of c. 1.5m below ground level before the trench began to collapse and it was deemed prudent to abandon it.

The water-table was reached at about 1 .2m below ground level (i.e.. 24 .6m above 0,D. ) .

It is clear that the land this far towards the river is made ground of 19th century date, possibly contemporary with the construction of Riverdene House and gardens. Any archaeologically significant deposits would be buried much deeper.

The stratigraphic sequence in 'Trench C was similar to that found at the northern end of Trench A.

30-40 cm of topsoil (C/1) overlay a thin and discontinuous layer of sandy clay loam with frequent tiny chips of red' brick or tile C/2. This overlay, in sequence, a dark greyish brown very clayey sandy loam (C/3); a slightly greenish grey medium clay 0.17 cm thick (C/4); and a layer of yellow medium clay with light grey patches c, 10 cm thick (C/5). . -

Under these lay a slightly loamier dark grey sandy clay - similar to A/4 - containing charcoal and sparse bone and pottery fragments of early-mid Saxon and 13th century date, which was excavated to a depth of 1.5m below ground surface (c. 24»55m above OD) but not bottomed.

Both trenches produced similar profiles with a thick dark brown topsoil (30-60 cm) overlying a thinner mid-to-light brown sandy clay loam, slightly gravelly (12-20 cm thick) - D/2 and E/2 .

In D this layer produced a few tiny sherds, one of which is organically tempered and could be early Saxon, and the others later Saxon or early Medieval.

Under this layer was a clean dark brown humic clay loam, 18-20 cm thick in Trench D (D/3) and 35-40 cm thick in Trench E (E/3). This layer is difficult to interpret but of the pottery from D/2 is not residual; it may represent an early garden or plough soil. No finds were recovered from this layer. It is perhaps more plausible to suggest that D/2 and E/2, which are similar in character and stratigraphic location to A/2 and A/6, are rather more recent deposits containing some residual Saxon/Medieval sherds from nearby.

Though there are some finds of archaeological interest from the excavations, there is nothing to suggest the present of an archaeological site in the area assessed. The evidence rather suggests that it was marginal, though in proximity to, areas of occupation from the early Saxon, through to the 13th century and beyond.

A/12 was the only archaeological feature encountered and is most plausibly explained as a ditch or gully dug to drain the land to the south. There is at the present time no topographical suggestion that it is a natural stream channel, though the lowness of the natural gravel surface in this trench in relation to that in Trenches D and E (involving a drop of c. 0.7m) suggest that a that a small stream or inlet may have existed here and may have been deepened.

Although there is a certain amount of Saxon pottery from Trench A, its stratigraphic position above and mixed in with Medieval pottery, indicate that it must be residual. The circumstances of its deposition are slightly problematic. Its freshly broken, uneroded character suggest that it was deposited as the land was infilled in the later Medieval period (after gully A/12 had gone out of use). It is less likely to have eroded naturally from an adjacent area. The infilling was probably a deliberate dumping of material along the Thames waterfront, rather than the natural silting of the river which would have resulted in a chronologically defined stratigraphy.

In any case, the presence of Saxon pottery from both the early and later periods, indicate Saxon occupation in the near in the near vicinity, presumably further inland towards the south and/or the east where the modern bridge now stands.

The only evidence for pre-Saxon occupation were two struck flints, one of which was lightly retouched. It is perhaps possible that prehistoric occupation lies at a greater depth than was reached during the assessment, though there is no evidence for it.