THE CLWYD-POWYS ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST. annual review 2012/13

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1 THE CLWYD-POWYS ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST annual review 2012/13 April 2013

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3 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 3 Contents Preface...1 Curatorial Work...5 Fieldwork and Desk-based Projects...31 Education and outreach...74 Publications and Reports...86 Trustees, Committee Members, Members, Staff, April THE CLWYD-POWYS ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST 41 Broad Street, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 7RR tel , fax trust@cpat.org.uk, Registered Charity No Limited Company Registered in Wales No The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust April 2013 File: annual review indd

4 4 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Preface This review provides a summary of the work undertaken by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust during the 20012/13 financial year, ending 31 March The Trust is grateful for the continuing financial support it received from the public and private sector bodies during the 2012/13 financial year, as acknowledged at the beginning of each of the summaries which follow. Like many other bodies, the Trust remains under continuing financial pressure due to the current recession, but is nevertheless making every effort to continue both the scope and standard of work it undertakes heritage sector in the region it covers (Brecon Beacons National Park, Powys, Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, and eastern Conwy.) The Trust s offices at 41 Broad Street, Welshpool.

5 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 5 Curatorial Work PLANNING SERVICES Funding: Cadw, Brecon Beacons National Park, Conwy County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council, Powys County Council This section, headed by the Development Control Officer (Mark Walters), assisted part time by the Development Control Assistant (Wendy Owen), is part of the Curatorial Section and is line managed by the Head of Curatorial Services (Chris Martin). The main duty of Planning Services is to provide a development control response to local authority consultation on planning applications and to other consultation arising from non-planning development. Funding for CPAT s Planning Services is provided by grant aid from Cadw. Additional funding has been secured from Flintshire County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Powys County Council, and the Brecon Beacons National Park and this continues to help maintain present service levels. The Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP) announced in February 2013 that they intend to bring archaeological development control in-house and that the Brecon Beacons National Park Archaeologist, Natalie Ward, would take on this role from 1 April CPAT would still do the initial list checking and give the initial advice to the Local Planning Authority in accordance with the Cadw Task List and Cadw funding, but all subsequent development control procedures would be fulfilled by BBNP. Local Authority Liaison The operation of Planning Policy Wales and its archaeologically related circulars 60/96 and 61/96 have been monitored by CPAT Curatorial during the year. This guidance continues to be successfully applied in all areas. Contact with planning officers and other planning staffs are maintained on a daily basis during the normal casework consultation process. Monitoring the effectiveness of Planning Policy Wales etc 4943 planning applications have been made known to CPAT Curatorial since 1 April This figure represents a decrease in applications submitted to local authorities and the total is down on last years figures by 365 applications. As with last year this reflects the continuing impact of the recession on the development sector and a marked lack of confidence in the construction market compared to 2009/10 when there seemed to be something of a revival. Of these 4943 applications, 595 consultations were identified by CPAT as having the potential to impact on the historic environment. This indicates that while the number of applications have dropped the overall number of cases dealt with in detail has actually increased. This year CPAT Curatorial has called for 27 field evaluations, desktop assessments or other predetermination actions when considering planning applications. To date, local authorities have implemented 5 of these recommendations. As ever, the shortfall is caused by subsequent withdrawal of a small number of applications, but more commonly by delays of at least 6 months on over 50% of the applications requiring evaluation due to the resale of development plots and subsequent re-applications. As in previous years the majority of these evaluation recommendations have resulted from the potential impacts of relatively small-scale developments in open plots within the historic core of former medieval nucleated settlements. Some larger-scale field surveys and assessments have been required, usually in pursuit of Environmental Impact Assessments, or as a result of large-scale green-field development for housing or utilities installations. A total of 3 briefs for archaeological work have been prepared by CPAT Curatorial during the year, a few of these being for work recommended within the previous year. Work undertaken by contractors during the year has been monitored by CPAT Curatorial. These monitoring visits have included single or multiple visits to numerous projects and contractors working in our area over the last year have included Gifford,

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7 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 7 Archaeology Wales, Castlering Archaeology, Clwyd- Powys Archaeological Trust, Earthworks Archaeology, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, L-P Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology North, Wessex Archaeology, Cotswold Archaeology, Nick Tavener, Cornerstone Archaeology, APAC Ltd. Besides monitoring visits there have been 103 meetings with developers, applicants or planning officers relating to specific casework along with visits to development sites to ascertain the archaeological potential of the site, verify information retained within the HER and to aid the preparation of design briefs. Planning Casework Throughout the year the planning services section has been involved in a number of cases that have resulted in positive archaeological recommendations, conservation or mitigation. A small sample of the most interesting of these cases is highlighted below: Croes Atti, Oakenholt, Flintshire This large-scale development site on the eastern fringe of the Flint settlement area was evaluated in 1999 by Lancaster University Archaeology Unit and Bradford Geophysics using a combination of desktop study, field survey, geophysical prospection and evaluation trenching. On the western fringe of the development area Romano-British industrial activity related to lead processing has been recorded in Croes Atti since at least the 18th century and a Scheduled Monument area protects evidence of extensive lead smelting investigated in the 1980s. In 1999 it was anticipated that any evidence of Roman-British activity in the development zone would extend east from the Scheduled Monument area on the western boundary and might include additional industrial activity and possibly an east-west road. Prior evaluation by CPAT using geophysics and trial trenching in fields just beyond the eastern boundary of the development area in 1990 failed to locate any significant settlement archaeology, or the continuation of the Roman road. Consequently a swathe of geophysics and trial trenching concentrated around the western side of the development area. The evaluation results all proved negative with no evidence that Roman settlement extended east from the known concentration of activity. From the 1990 and 1999 evaluation results we concluded that Roman settlement did not continue east beyond the Croes Atti Brook to the south of the A548. It was further concluded that the Roman road was either under the modern road, or was represented by an undated road alignment that Steve Grenter (then Clwyd Arch Service) had partially excavated in the early 1990s to the north of the A548, which was heading east/west. A watching brief was recommended as a condition of consent to the Flintshire Local Planning Authority as a precautionary measure given the size of the development area and the potential for other unrecorded archaeology of different periods. The condition subsequently met with much opposition from the intending developer who argued that the condition was not practical given the size of the development area and the intention to sell plots of land piecemeal to numerous developers over a number of years. Subsequently, in 2006, a new sewage pumping main connection was driven through the fields to the north of the A548 which was obviously in preparation for more houses coming online within the Croes Atti development area to the south. The course of this pipeline was stripped by Earthworks Archaeology and located a small inlet from the Dee estuary with a timber revetment and good waterlogged Romano- British finds, a random inhumation and a poorly preserved road or track. This track appeared to be heading diagonally SE across the field towards the Croes Atti development site and into an area which had not been covered by geophysical porspecting or trial trenching. Realizing we might have a Roman road crossing into the Croes Atti development area from the north CPAT asked for a watching brief to be put on subsequent revisions of the original development site consent. It was also agreed with Anwyl Construction (the developers of the sewage pumping main and the subsequent Croes Atti development) that we would need to investigate this road properly if it entered the development site and that a 20 by 20 metre area should be stripped mapped and excavated if the road was found.

8 8 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 In early January 2013 preparation for the main Croes Atti development commenced under Anwyl Construction. The primary access construction off a new roundabout at the east end of the development area was started. At this time it was not clear if Flintshire County Council had applied a watching brief condition as requested in 2006 and a check with the local planning authority confirmed that while Phases 2 and 3 of the development had a watching brief in place there was no such condition applicable to Phase 1. We therefore only had an informal agreement with the developer driving any archaeological work completed in the Phase 1 area, with no attached funding source. Anwyl did, however, agree to fund the initial watching brief to the sum of approximately The watching brief on the roundabout area immediately located a well preserved Roman road surface which appeared to be largely intact with upper metalling and a camber plus small lateral drainage ditches. This was a continuation of the road seen in the sewage pumping main investigation area to the north of the A548 and it had curved into the development area, crossing the line of the modern road. What we did not expect though was an area of extensive settlement either side of the road and extending for at least 10 metres out from the road edge. The road and settlement curved through the east end of the development site and potentially continues east through fields toward the former Oakenholt Paper Mill. With no condition driving any developer funding and only limited funds from Anwyl for a watching brief Cadw were approached for funding to cover an immediate rescue excavation in the area of the roundabout and to allow evaluation of the resource so that we could negotiate further with the developer and LPA for potential preservation in situ. for topsoil stripping and dumping of material excavated. The investigation of the roundabout area revealed extensive Romano-British settlement alongside a well preserved road alignment which curves into the Phase 1 development area from the north. Timber framed buildings associated with industrial activity are aligned in narrow plots along the road frontages and this activity appears to be predominantly associated with lead ore processing. The settlement appears to have been in use from the late 1st to the late 3rd centuries AD with a possibility of some fourth century or later activity at upper levels which has been partly damaged by later ploughing. The archaeology is well preserved in general with multiple phases and a large assemblage of artefacts was recovered. The archaeology extends beyond the initial investigation area and up to the development boundary on the east side. In total an area of some 0.7 acres contains well preserved sub-surface archaeology. This archaeology will be directly impacted by the current phase 1 development layout. The archaeology in the phase 1 area is of at least equal quality to the remains within the Scheduled Monument on the west boundary of the development (SAM Fl 131) and is therefore considered to be of national importance. With planning permission in place and development started Cadw are not in a position to schedule these remains. The Cadw investigation funding has now been exhausted and Cadw have stated that no additional funding would be available in the next financial year due to limited financial resources, which are already allocated, and cuts to their funding which have been passed on by Welsh Government. Cadw funded this work from end of year underspends in various Cadw dept's. The traditional pot of contingency money available to the Trust's had already been allocated at this stage and was not accessible. The excavation costs amounted to 23,000 with 17,000 allocated to post excavation analysis, reporting and archiving. Anwyl Construction provided the use of on-site construction machinery as necessary With nationally important archaeology under threat of imminent destruction we approached Anwyl Construction with two options for discussion ( s to Andy Davies dated 21/2/2013 and 1/3/2013). The s outlined the planning guidance applicable in a situation where important archaeology is revealed on a consented development during construction (Planning Policy Wales, Chapter 6, section and WO

9 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 9 Circular 60/96 Planning & the Historic Environment: Archaeology, section 24). The options tabled were: 1. Potential match funding from Anwyl Construction of 40,000 to facilitate additional archaeological recording on the remaining 0.7 acres of land within the phase 1 development area which retains archaeological remains. The methodology would involve stripping of the area, mapping of archaeological features and selective sampling of the most important features to recover information on dating, phasing, function and relationship of the remains. The results should be fully archived and published in accordance with IfA Standards and Guidance. 2. Preservation in situ of the archaeology within the defined area of archaeological sensitivity by a revision of the current phase 1 layout. This would entail the substitution of green open amenity space with the current residential building layout. The archaeologically sensitive area would need to be excluded from the construction area to prevent accidental disturbance for the duration of the development. The excluded area would then need to be lawned and a management agreement set up to maintain the lawn. During the initial lawn creation process no additional ground disturbance other than the removal of the upper 10-20cm of existing grass should take place and heavy vehicles should not be allowed to cross the area. An archaeologist should be present during this process to ensure intact archaeology is not disturbed. A site meeting was held to discuss these options on 14/3/13 and included representatives of Anwyl Construction, CPAT, Flintshire County Council and Earthworks Archaeology. At this meeting Anwyl Construction stated that there would be no possibility of match funding becoming available. Anwyl did offer access to the site for up to six months for further investigation and the use of a machine. However, with no funding source for a team of archaeologists to complete this work in accordance with Institute for Archaeologists Standards and Guidance, this is not a realistic option and the archaeology would ultimately be destroyed without any further record taking place. Anwyl then offered to consider the option of preservation in situ by design and stated that they could consider the creation of a green amenity space to protect the archaeology. This would be achieved by switching round amenity space allocated elsewhere on the development site with the residential buildings that currently occupy this layout location. It was agreed by all parties that this was the only viable option left to preserve the archaeology and that this should be taken forward urgently with the Local Planning Authority. CPAT Curatorial Section fully support and promote the preservation in situ option as the only viable means of protecting the archaeology at this stage of the development. The Trust currently await confirmation from the local planning authority that they can accommodate a revision to the currently agreed layout and early feedback suggests that this will be successfully achieved. Graveyard Extension to Llanmerewig Church, Llanmerewig, Powys St Llwchaiarn s Church was traditionally founded in the 6th century and its sub-circular churchyard boundary bank perhaps supports this early origin hypothesis. The substantial boundary bank has been suggested to be of prehistoric date and related to an enclosure although there is no corroborative evidence for this so far. Proposals by the Parochial Church Council for a graveyard extension in a field on the north east side of Llanmerewig Church attracted a requirement for prior archaeological excavation of the full extension area. Earlier evaluation in April 2010 by Cambrian Archaeological Projects revealed two concentric ditches on the outer edge of the churchyard boundary with a series of post holes, pits, a wall fragment and linear gullies beyond the ditches. These undated ditches may give further support to the theory that the church sits within an earlier prehistoric enclosure. The other features remain undated and the generally aceramic nature of the limited finds assemblage may be evidence of a Post Roman phase of settlement. Excavation inside the churchyard in the area of a

10 10 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 proposed extension by the CPAT in September 2011 revealed no burials or dis-articulated bone in the area around the re-sited 18th-century grave slabs which were left in situ. Two main features of early date were found to cut the subsoil, a broad ditch and a narrow gully. Small fragments of abraded pottery from each are suggestive of a Romano-British or medieval date although no diagnostic sherds were present. The ditch would appear to pre-date the present church foundations as the projected line would underlie the NW corner of the church. The excavation of the consented graveyard extension by Cambrian Archaeological Projects found an apparently isolated Iron Age round house. This was located outside two enclosure ditches which ran around the circumference of the current circular churchyard. The innermost of these ditches clearly continued under, and thus pre-dated, the existing churchyard bank. The Iron Age round house produced small fragments of possible Iron Age salt containers pottery and some charcoal in fills which will help to fix dates. The current interpretation is that the church is inside a Late Iron Age/early Romano- British enclosure. In addition to the prehistoric features a post-medieval dwelling was excavated on the frontage adjacent to the churchyard boundary bank which appears to be late 17th to 18th-century in date. It had a hearth, partitions and multiple phases of use. Post excavation finds/ sample analysis and report production is under way. plus some random post holes and pits. The pattern of activity is not clear, but some features may be associated with the 'Parsonage' ruinous building platform in the adjacent plot, which was inaccessible at the time of the evaluation. A ditch was located around the outer circumference of the graveyard wall with clay pipe and 18th to early 19th-century pot in its basal fills. This suggests the western end of the graveyard was extended in the 18th century. The Parsonage building will be within the proposed development area and will be excavated as part of a wider excavation condition for this development plot. New residential house on land adacent to Llanfilo Church, Llanfilo, Powys The pre-determination evaluation revealed extensive and deep ridge and furrow cultivation which has truncated much of the earlier archaeology. The ridge and furrow was dated to the 14th century with pottery. There was no significant activity after the ridge and furrow phase other than much later garden use. The only pre ridge and furrow feature was a substantial 2-3 metre ditch which had been re-cut. This ditch appears to mirror the curve of the existing churchyard boundary, but is about 8-10 metres north of it and there is a 1.5m vertical drop from the existing churchyard wall to this field surface, so quite what this ditch is doing here is up for discussion at the moment. There is no dating from the ditch so far, but there is charcoal in the fills so we may be able to subsequently obtain a date for this feature. Additional evaluation work was done on this ditch and a report is imminent. Llanmerewig Church, Powys. Photograph: courtesy of Llanmeregiw Church Llandegley, Persondy, Powys Evaluation in advance of residential housing proposals revealed medieval and post-medieval ditch features Glas-hirfryn, Cwmdu near Llansilin, Powys This Grade II listed building was in a parlous state with extensive collapse since it's abandonment as a dwelling in The surviving structure is one of the earliest timber-framed storied houses in mid-wales and is considered to date from the first half of the 16th century. The building is on the Powys Buildings at Risk Register. An application was received for redevelopment of the site to create a dwelling through restoration of the listed building. The restoration will utilise all of the original fabric that can be successfully recovered and the new building is expected to mirror the original plan as far as possible. Excavation and building recording completed in

11 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 11 Llanfilo, Powys. Photograph: CPAT 00- c advance of new construction revealed original floor levels, a blocked door and passage, the location of former windows, the original fireplace and stone chimney along the back wall and details relating to the construction of the timber frame and it's development through later alterations. two separate flats. No impact on the early timber frame was identified. The 16th-century frontage house has been extended multiple times at rear. The current passage down the side of the pub was a later feature which cut through the timber frame of the original house. The archaeological work was carried out using funding received from Cadw contingency resources after it was decided by the local planning authority that the costs of archaeological work required by condition could not be met by applicants and may jeopardise the project if enforced. Mark Walters (Development Control Officer) The project is also reported upon further below in the section of projects in 2012/13. Denbigh, Vale Street, Denbighshire Evaluation revealed deeply buried medieval and postmedieval archaeology on the frontage with shallower late medieval and post-medieval archaeology at the back of the plot. The evaluation of the eastern half of the plot was hindered by the presence of existing buildings which had not been demolished. A condition has been recommended for excavation of the whole development area after demolition and prior to new construction. Mermaid Inn, High Street, Welshpool, Powys An Engligh Heritage Level 3 record of this building was made to support an Listed Building Consent application to convert the ground and first floor into Mermaid Inn, High Street, Welshpool, Powys. Photograph

12 12 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 HERITAGE MANAGEMENT Funding: Cadw Heritage Management provides strategic planning advice, elements of Glastir and Forestry Commission Wales support, monument management advice and HER output, information and publicity about project work, advice and support for Cadw-funded pan-wales schemes and the activities of CPAT and the other Welsh Archaeological Trusts, and support for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales. The Heritage Management Service falls within the Curatorial Section of CPAT and has been staffed during the year by Abi McCullough (Glastir support, Glastir Private Woodlands Polygonization & general heritage management), Chris Martin (Head of Curatorial Services), Jeff Spencer (HER enquiries and management, outreach work), Mark Walters ( nonplanning development control), Sophie Watson (HER enquiries, Glastir Private Woodlands Polygonization, general heritage management & HER enhancement) and Wendy Owen ( non-planning development control & HER enhancement). The Heritage Management Outreach programme is dealt with in a separate report. In addition to the continual tasks, such as the support of Cadw s Scheduling Enhancement Programme, support of Pan-Wales Projects and ongoing liaison with other conservation bodies, the following work has been undertaken during the year. Provision of HER information Over this financial year, the Trust received a total of 160 HER enquiries, which is a slight decrease (down from 177) in comparison to last year. In speaking to enquirers there has certainly been an increase in the number of people who have been accessing information on Archwilio, and who have contacted the Trust in order to follow up or obtain further information. A total of 53 enquiries received were of a commercial nature, related to proposed developments (excluding regular automated consultation by Planning Services see below). This is a considerable increase in comparison to last year of almost 1/3. A further 4984 (automated) checks of HER data were made against planning applications and other development control and heritage management consultations within CPAT. Aa in previous years, enquiries have covered a wide chronological and thematic range, the majority having arisen due to the personal interest of the individual. Several enquiries have come from university students, carrying out assignments or dissertation research, often with specific research aims and requesting large amounts of data or information about very specific types of sites. There have also been a number of enquiries from people requesting information and images to use in guided walks, interpretation panels, lesson plans, talks and other publications. Requests to see specific CPAT and other archaeological reports have also been popular, particularly from students, commercial enquirers and other professional organisations. Enquirers continue to contact the Trust primarily by and via telephone, having often come across the CPAT website or Archwilio and wishing to follow up information. A total of 16 visits were made to the HER this year, several of which were by commercial organisations, wishing to follow up references or view aerial photographs, maps and reports. Several visits were also made by people on spec, with finds to identify or who wished to speak in person about their enquiry. Our new premises on the main street has certainly piqued curiosity and increased the number of people calling in as they pass by. The majority of enquiries as usual came from the United Kingdom, with 69 from England and 86 from Wales. We also received a small number of enquiries this year from further a field, including Iowa, Australia and Germany, the majority of which related to family history research, tracing old properties that family members had lived in and also following up family names that may have originated in Wales. Some of these enquiries have also led to further information being fed back into the HER as individuals have obtained more information from other sources about the histories of certain buildings and who had once lived there. Scheduled Monument Consents CPAT has been notified of 18 Scheduled Monument Consent cases during the year, most of which deal with proactive management of monuments rather than

13 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 13 development threat. All of these notifications have been post consent. schemes have attracted a need for prior archaeological mitigation. Strategic planning advice Work has continued on 3 Local Development Plans under Cadw s Heritage Management project. These came from Powys County Council, Denbighshire County Council, the Brecon Beacons National Park. Wrexham County Borough Council s Local Development Plan has been withdrawn, but it is still expected that Wrexham will start work on a revised plan at some stage during next year. News of Flintshire s Local Development Plan is still awaited. Environment Agency liaison One consultation have been received in the last year from the Environment Agency or their agents. The Agency employs two archaeologists who cover the CPAT area and joint liaison has continued over the last year. Consultation continued throughout the year on the combined hydro-electric generating scheme with an upgrade of the fish passage structures at Penarth Weir in Newtown. The weir structure is of high historic and industrial importance as the primary early feeder weir for the Montgomeryshire Canal. It was constructed in 1819 and unusually includes a contemporary salmon ladder built in dressed stone to the side of the weir. The initial development proposals were highly unsympathetic to the structure and would have involved the demolition of the salmon ladder and significant structural changes to the weir structure and canal feeder channel. Subsequent negotiations have limited the damage and also led to the Grade II listing of the structure by Cadw. Consultation is ongoing regarding the archimedes screw turbine design which will sit within the original fish pass and the latest plans seek to preserve all original fabric in intact with non-intrusive sealing structures between the weir fabric and the new components. A joint Memorandum of Understanding has been developed relating to consultation procedures between Welsh Water and the Welsh Archaeological Trusts. This is currently being revised due to major changes in the structure of Welsh Water during Close liaison is maintained with Welsh Water via their Environmental Co-ordinator based at Nelson, Treharris Re-alignment of the Bleddfa Conduit, a section of the underground ElanValley Aqueduct, near Bleddfa attarcted a recommendation for archaeological assessment of the new alignment. Works to clean the Vyrnwy-Liverpool Water Pipeline constructed in the Victorian period have continued through the year in the Wrexham area. This involves construction of haul ways on the line of the existing pipe cut and 17 by 17 metre insertion pits on the location of original valve wells. At the latter locations new plastic pipe is dragged through the inside of the original cast iron pipe to re-line it. One visit was made to the Horseman s Green area of operations to determine if any new damage had taken place to a recently mapped area of extensive medieval ridge and furrow preservation. The visit confirmed that no new damage had taken place. Electricity industry 6 schemes have been received for consultation this year. Two of these have attracted recommendations for some form of archaeological mitigation prior to development. North Wales Wind Farms 132kv connection to St. Asaph multiple route corridors pre Environmental Impact Assessment. A scope for archaeological assessment has been set. Water industry CPAT Curatorial has provided detailed comments on 37 schemes under direct consultation with Welsh Water, Severn Trent Water and their various engineering consultants. The majority of these have been small-scale replacement works of existing pipelines or works within existing compounds. 6 Overhead Line Reinforcement from Legacy (Wrexham) to Oswestry assessment completed by Oxford Archaeology and mitigation agreed. Gas industry 32 consultations have been received over the last year from the gas industry. The vast majority of

14 14 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 these schemes have been for minor online works to refurbish existing small diameter pipeline routes and no archaeological intervention has been required. In all cases the consultations are received from environmental consultants acting on behalf of the regional National Grid offices. A major National Grid refurbishment line between Llanwrin, north of Machynlleth, and Dolgellau attracted a full Environmental Impact Assesment assessment along its route in 2011 including desktop study, geophysical prospecting and walkover surveys. The subsequent evaluation and comprehensive watching brief in 2012 during the early stages of construction revealed no significant archaeology within the Powys area. The post-excavation and publication work on the National Grid pipeline between Mynydd Myddfai, via Brecon and on to Hay on Wye in the east is progressing with work on the final publications now under way. Minerals industry One consultation relating to minerals planning has been received which did not require archaeological intervention. The extensive rolling watching brief and excavation programme at Borras Quarry near Wrexham continues. Road Schemes The Development Control Section continues to be involved with numerous large trunk road schemes put forward by the Welsh Assembly Government - Transport Division. The Newtown By-pass is currently on hold although a southern route corridor preference has been stated. Environmental Liaison Group meetings were expected to start up again in January 2013 after a construction contractor had been appointed, but so far there has been no announcement. Windfarms A large number of wind farm applications are currently active in the CPAT area and comments on scoping opinions or advice relating to mitigation recommendations in Environmental Impact Statements have been made for the following in 2011/12: Llys Dymper Windfarm (Mynydd Hiraethog), Clocaenog Windfarm, Nant Y Moch Area Windfarm, Dyfnant Windfarm, Llaithddu Windfarm, Mynydd Y Gwynt Windfarm, The Graig - Howey Windfarm. Topsoil strippling in progress at Borras. Photograph: CPAT

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16 16 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 In addition multiple single or dual turbine windfarms have proliferated over the last year in our area and these have varied in height from 24 metres to 110 metres in height. All single turbines have to be assessed for their potential to require a full Environmental Impact Assessment. Screening and scoping opinions are now routinely answered on a weekly basis in all local planning authority areas with the exception of Brecon Beacons National Park. The Mid Wales (Powys) Conjoined Wind Farm Public Inquiry will take place in the Royal Oak, Welshpool from June 2013 and is related to Powys CC objections during 2012 to the Llaithddu, Llanbrynmair, Llanbadarn Fynydd, Carnedd Wen and Llandinam Windfarms together with the 132kV OH line between Llandinam Windfarm and the Welshpool Substation. application over the last year and no archaeological intervention was required. Motor Rally consultation This scheme, instigated by Powys County Council, has now been running for seven years. This year CPAT has received 22 consultations about planned motor rally events in Powys. The vast majority of these events use existing metalled roads or byways, but permission must be sought from the local authority to use public rights of way for such purposes. Powys County Council now requires all such applicants to consult CPAT to assess potential impacts on the heritage. Both on and off-road consultations are received from car and motorcycle rally organisers. Rally organizers are supplied with information from the HER and advised on areas to avoid. In conjunction with the windfarms there are two other major overhead electricity lines being proposed which will connect these windfarms to the main grid. Early consultation has been received for the highly controversial Scottish Power and National Grid proposals for a new substation near Carno in Powys, together with new 132kV pole and 400kV pylon lines connecting to the existing 400kV grid in Shropshire. A baseline archaeological assessment has been completed and consultation meetings with Scottish Power and National Grid have been attended. The preferred corridor for the 400kV line has been announced (Red North via the Meifod Valley) and this corridor is currently being refined together with options for overhead or underground construction and an alternative corridor north of the Meifod Valley. Solar Farms Prior to 2012 the CPAT area had remained free of the large area solar farm applications seen in other areas. Two schemes have now been put forward in Powys at Gallteinion, Commins Coch and Pentre Isaf, Ystryd Y Ceunant, Llanfechain. In both cases the development covers a large upland area where there are currently no archaeological records due to a lack of prior systematic fieldwork. Archaeological assessment of these two solar farms has therefore been recommended. During the year two events attracted recommendations for avoidance of identified archaeology on, or close to, the rally route. In each case archaeology was successfully avoided. Hedgerow Regulations CPAT has received 10 consultations relating to the Hedgerow Regulations. These generally relate to works by local authorities, such as highways improvements, or by utility companies. Only one scheme required archaeological mitigation. Environmental Impact Assessment of Uncultivated Land and Semi-Natural Areas Provisions CPAT has received 5 consultations relating to the implementation of this European Union directive. None of these cases needed an environmental impact assessment Forestry Commission liaison General liaison with the Forestry Commission has continued during the year as well as local liaison meetings with regional Forestry Commission staff. CPAT has attended the annual liaison meeting with the Forestry Commission, has attended the annual field meeting to look at harvesting issues, and has continued to meet with regional officers on a regular basis. Diocesan Archaeology consultations We received notification of one diocesan faculty Work has also been undertaken to incorporate the results of coupe surveys carried out by Forestry

17 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 17 Commission staff during into the HER. Information about monuments in FC holdings and photographs taken by foresters has been used to update the HER. areas of Glastir throughout the year, co-ordinating the submission of Historic Environment polygonal data for the Glastir All Wales Elements and Targeted Elements and those coming from the Private Woodlands project. As well as the physical checking and editing of the data submitted by each Trust, before submission to the Welsh Government, this has necessitated meetings with people from the Government and a significant amount of general liaison. Welsh Historic Environment Record Co-ordination Group This group had held two meetings during the year which continued to look at aspects of historic environment record keeping in Wales. One of the groups primary purposes is to address various ways of sharing information held in records. Welsh Historic Environment Heritage Management Group CPAT hosted a meeting of this group at their office in On the agenda were updates from Cadw on the range of current Agri-Environmental schemes (about which there was much discussion), updates from Cadw on the Portable Antiquities Scheme Top: Stone setting (PRN1676) within clearing. Bottom: Possible cairn base (PRN101717) and modern clearance in forestry clearing below Moel Fammau. Both sites were photographed by Forestry Commission staff. Photographs: Courtesy of the Forestry Commission. Welsh Government Glastir Stakeholders Group There have been no full meetings of this group during the year but CPAT continues to liaise with them on behalf of the other Welsh Archaeological Trusts. Glastir liaison and GIS data co-ordination In addition to this high level liaison a number of Glastir meetings have been held during the year to discuss aspects of the Targeted Element and All Wales Elements of the scheme. CPAT has also provided support for a number of other Twentieth Century Military Structures Liaison Group Jeff Spencer was unable to join the group at their combined meeting and visit to former artillery ranges in the Snowdonia National Park in June 2012 but did attend the December 2012 meeting chaired by Jonathan Berry of Cadw at RCAHMW, Aberystwyth. Representatives of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts, RCAHMW and Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia National Parks along with individual specialists were in attendance. After a round table discussion summarising work across Wales Jon Berry circulated a document proposing changes to the remit of the group and asked for comments and also took the opportunity of reminding those present of the various opportunities to commemorate the centenary of the First World War over forthcoming years. Afordir CPAT has attend two meetings of the Afordir group to study coastal and maritime matters. Issues discussed included progress of Trust projects under the Afordir banner and the way forward for the group.

18 18 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13

19 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 19 Built Heritage Forum CPAT has attended meetings of this Cadw-hosted group during the year. Liverpool Bay Coastal Cell & Shoreline Management Plan CPAT has continued to liaise with this group during the year, and presented the results of the West Coast Palaeolandscapes project to them at their last meeting. Informing the Future of the Past Review Group CPAT has continued to represent the interests of Welsh HERs (as part of ALGAO) through the United Kingdon-wide review of Informing the Future of the Past. IFP3 has now been released as a wiki document that can be updated by nominated editors. Twristiaeth Caersws Tourism Community Group Twristiaeth Caersws Tourism is an organisation determined to improve the prosperity and well being of the inhabitants of Caersws in Montgomeryshire. By making the most of assets in the village and wider community it is hoped that the profile of Caersws can be raised, thereby encouraging more people to visit and holiday in the vicinity at the same time as attracting grant aid for projects and improving community cohesion and pride. Jeff Spencer was reelected as Vice-Chairman at the AGM in January 2013 and attends group meetings on behalf of CPAT. A highlight was a public outing to investigate and picnic on the site of Cefn Carnedd hillfort, for which Jeff was one of the organisers and leaders. Other initiatives begun during the year and currently ongoing are the funding and erection of a signpost to the grave of poet Ceiriog Hughes in Llanwnog churchyard and the production of a leaflet about local footpaths highlighting features of interest along the way. A fundraising event was also successful. Fforest Fawr Geopark CPAT staff liaise with the Geopark Development Officer, Alan Bowring, and in January 2013 contributed information for a Coelbren Heritage The new wiki style front page of the Informing the Future of the Past website

20 20 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Visitors at the Twristiaeth Caersws Tourism tour of Cefn Carnedd Hillfort ready to explore. Photograph CPAT Trail. Fforest Fawr Geopark in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park has been designated as a territory whose geological heritage is of European significance. It is a partnership between Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, the British Geological Survey and Cardiff University. Bryn Euryn Local Nature Reserve Management Advisory Group The reserve encompasses the multi-period Bryn Euryn hillfort and Llys Euryn medieval house. All issues relating to its use and enjoyment are handled by the Management Advisory Group, which comprises representatives from various interested parties. Meetings comprise one formal event chaired by Conwy County Borough Council at their offices in Colwyn Bay and one informal meeting on site each year. Meetings were held in July 2012 and January 2013 but unfortunately, due to other commitments, a CPAT representative was unable to attend either. Minutes and other papers from the meetings were received and it is hoped to be in attendance at the next meeting. Brecon Beacons National Park Advisory Forum CPAT staff attended a Joint Area Advisory Forum in October 2012 at BBNPA headquarters in Brecon and a Western Area Advisory Forum meeting in February 2013 held at Pontneddfechan Village Hall. Waun Fignen Felen Management Forum CPAT was invited to send a staff member to 2 forums during the year held at Craig-y-Nos Country Park. Unfortunately, other commitments prevented attendance in July 2012 and adverse weather stymied an attempt to reach the January 2013 event. Brecon Beacons National Park Sustainable Development Fund Grants Advisory Panel Two meetings of this panel were attended, in June and September 2012 to advise on applications. The September meeting was combined with a tour of several projects which had been beneficiaries of the Sustainable Development Fund.

21 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 21 Walking with Offa CPAT has finally been able to launch interactive route maps and information relating to a number of circular town walks tied to the Offa s Dyke footpath. These have been prepared, over a number of years, in conjunction with the footpath team of Powys County Council and Matthew Davies Media. Walks have been produced for Churchstoke, Knighton, Llanymynech, Montgomery east, Montgomery west, New Radnor, Presteigne country and Presteigne town. Each walk outlines some historical information and links to a screen from Archwilio to provide further detail about sites along the route from the HER. The walks can be accessed at text.asp?pageid=142 Great Railway Journeys CPAT made brief appearance on the BBC 2 programme Great Railway Journeys to discuss, with Michael Portillo, the role the railways had played in the development of Welshpool s Smithfield Market with particular reference to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Cattle Transfer Dock. Find out more about the cattle transfer dock at cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?watprn =CPAT85212&dbname=cpat&tbname=core Rhydymwyn Valley Site The site is in the ownership of Defra and management continues to be carried out by a facilities management company under contract. CPAT liaises on an informal basis with the Chairman of the Rhydymwyn Valley History Society and members of the society contributed to the November 2012 community event as part of the 20th Century Military Airfield Hinterlands project. Above: Walking with Offa main page for Presteigne. Right: detailed HER page for Presteigne.

22 22 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Welshpool Motte and Bailey and Cattle Transfer Dock improvements CPAT continues to liaise with the various parties involved in the ongoing management issues surrounding this motte and bailey castle in Welshpool. It is still hoped that, once improvements to the access have been undertaken by Powys County Council, the Town Council will be able to take on the lease of the site and that of the adjacent Light Railway Cattle Transfer Dock (both of which are scheduled ancient monuments) and will able to maintain them both for public benefit. Brecknock Museum Jeff Spencer was invited by Curator Nigel Blackamore to contribute to an Interpretation and Activity Group set up to support a bid for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work so far has focussed on how best to present the new large gallery identified for telling the story of Brecknockshire. CBA Community Archaeology Bursary An application to host one of the latest cohort of CBA Community Archaeology Bursary holders was completed in January News on the success or otherwise of the application is expected at the beginning of the new financial year. Event to plan for the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War An event organised by CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales was attended at the Welsh Government offices in Llandudno Junction in January Above: The newly cleared Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Cattle Transfer Dock Powysland Museum Curator Eva Bredsdorff has liaised with Jeff Spencer of CPAT over several enquiries relating to the museum s archaeological collection including the acquisition and presentation of 2 coin hoards found by a local metal detector user. Above: 17th-century coin hoard including a medal commemorating the marriage of King Charles I. Photograph: CPAT Liaison with other bodies Throughout the year meetings and events were attended to liaise with archaeological and other bodies including; the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers Cymru committee, the ALGAO HER committee, the ALGAO UK national executive, the Informing the Future of the Past review group, Cadw, the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Scotland, the Welsh Archaeological Trusts Curators Group, WAT HER Officers Group, WAT Development Control Officers Group, Cadw s Heritage Management Group, Cadw s Public Engagement and Outreach Group, Cadw s Strategic Records Group, Arfordir, IFA Wales, the Historic Environment Group, Built Heritage Forum, The Archaeological Forum, Natur, DEFRA, CCW National Trails team, Powys County Council Rights of Way team, Welshpool Town Council, the Powysland Club, the Radnorshire Society, St Asaph Diocesan Advisory Committee, Cambrian Archaeological Association, Wrexham Heritage Society, HER Forum, English Heritage, The Archaeology Data Service, the Brecknock Society, Clwydian Range LPAG, Association of Diocesan & Cathedral Archaeologists, Wrexham Archaeology Service, Denbighshire Countryside

23 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 23 Service, Powys County Council, Flintshire County Council, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, WAG Glastir Stakeholders Group, Waun Fignen Felen Management Group, Powysland Museum, Radnorshire Museum, Brecknock Museum, CARAD, Old Oswestry Landscape and Archaeology Project, Elan Valley Trust, National Library of Wales, CBA Wales, Wrexham Heritage Society, Conwy County Borough Council Museums Education Service, Brecon U3A, Ruthin Local History Group, The Tanat Valley Prehistoric Digital Map Project, Clwyd Aviation Group, Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group, Rhydymwyn Valley History Society, Sarn Local History Group, Holt Local History Society, Oswestry and Border History and Archaeology Group, Worthen Local History Group, Welshpool Inner Wheel, Twristiaeth Caersws Tourism, Welshpool U3A, Hafan Day Hospice and Boundless Television. IT systems support The Curatorial Section continues to provide hardware and software support across CPAT. Chris Martin, Mark Walters, Jeff Spencer, Abi McCullough, Sophie Watson Glastir: Private Woodland Management Project 1813 Funding: Welsh Governments, Rural Payments Division During the previous financial year (2011/12) CPAT carried out a pilot project to assess the potential for drawing Glastir polygons within areas of private woodland across its area for the purposes of archaeological management. This highlighted not only the need to draw polygons to show the extent of historic features, but also that there are many sites shown on early Ordnance Survey mapping within woodland that have not previously been recorded on the Historic Environment Record. With the imminent launch of their Glastir Woodland Management scheme, Welsh Government, via Cadw, funded CPAT in 2012/13 to look at all areas of private woodland, over 0.5 hectares, across the whole of CPAT s area and to identify potential Glastir polygons within them. Using the HER, 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions of the Ordnance Survey and in some cases LIDAR, 2,565 polygons were drawn. In addition, 2,235 new HER records were created. Abi McCullough Examples of Glastir woodland polygons drawn in private woodlands north of Llanwyddyn, defining abandoned settlements shown on the 1st edition OS map, 1887

24 24 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13

25 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 25 Scheduled Monument Consent applications for Offa s Dyke Path gates Project 1776 Funding: Powys County Council CPAT continued to work on the Scheduled Monument Consents for the installation of several dozen new gates along the line of the Offa s Dyke long distance footpath. After much discussion with Cadw, a single SMC was submitted for all the gates and Powys County Council now await its outcome. Chris Martin Portable Antiquities Scheme Project 1177 Funding: Cadw via Museums Wales Work on portable antiquities has continued this year with the HER Officer recording on the Historic Environment Record items found by members of the public and reported to CPAT in Welshpool. His role extends to fielding ad hoc enquiries about finds from the region. Heritage Management Archaeologists Abi McCullough and Sophie Watson have been responsible for 2 further tasks, firstly uploading information about the above-mentioned artefacts to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database and secondly, incorporating data about finds discovered in the CPAT region and reported to Finds Liaison Officers elsewhere into the HER. been spent with a local metal detector user and fieldwalker in order to train them to record their own finds on the PAS database. This will ease the burden on CPAT staff and neighbouring Finds Liaison Officers at the same time as broadening the experience of the finder. Jeff Spencer Beacon Ring Hillfort: vegetation management and amenity Project 1863 Funding: Forestry Commission, Cadw, and help in kind from Wales Probation Trust The thousands of visitors that passes through Beacon Ring hillfort each year on the Offa s Dyke National Trail will have noticed a number of changes in the first few months of With the help of Powys Probabtion Service, Cadw - Welsh Government, the Forestry Commission and local volunteers we have been able to make a start on a number of improvements for visitors at the Trust s Iron Age hillfort on Long Mountain, just to the east of Welshpool. Over the years the ramparts of the hillfort have become overgrown with brambles and gorse which have made it difficult to fully appreciate what A total of 75 new records were created on the PAS database during the course of the year and 170 additions were made to the HER. In addition time has Typical finds brought to the attention of the Trust and recorded as part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme during the year. Top: Fragmentary Bronze Age palstave found at Llanyre, Powys. Below : Denarius of Tiberius found at Clyro, Powys (not to scale): Photographs: CPAT , Above: Offenders on the Community Payback scheme arranged by Powys Probation Service hard at work in early February clearing gorse from the eastern ramparts of Beacon Ring hillfort. Photograph:

26 26 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 the defences are like. Dense undergrowth has also encouraged burrowing animals largely rabbits to dig tunnels into the ramparts which unless halted would begin to cause serious damage the monument. Dense vegetation also makes it difficult for visitors to fully appreciate the scale of the Iron Age defences. The hillfort ramparts were built of earth and stone dug from the surrounding ditch and most probably revetted with stone, timber or turf, evidence of which would be gradually destroyed by burrowing animals. With the help of a a team of offenders as part of the Community Payback scheme, arranged by courtesy of Powys Probation Service, we have already been able to make significant inroads into clearing the gorse and brambles from much of the eastern side of the monument. The scheme to clear the gorse and brambles is also supported by a Scheduled Ancient Monument management agreement with Cadw Welsh Government and by voluntary help. Because of the various species of birds principally members of the finch family that nest in the gorse, vegetation clearance needs to be undertaken outside the nesting season which falls between early March and late July. Since parts of the ramparts on the northern and western sides of the hillfort are still shrouded in dense undergrowth we expect to continue the work of clearing gorse and bracken over the next year or two. Once the dense vegetation has been cleared we are hoping to keep it under control in order to inhibit further damage by burrowing animals. In the longer term we are also hoping to clear the interior of the hillfort of the trees that were planted there in the 1950s and return the site to grassland. This will make the site much more accessible to visitors, will cause less damage to the buried archaeology, and will also be more beneficial to wildlife. In 2012, with the help of a grant from Cadw Welsh Government, the Trust was able to purchase and fence off an additional strip of land around the eastern side of the hillfort from the local farmer. This makes a new circular walk for visitors to the hillfort with stunning views to the east towards Corndon Hill, the Stiperstones and the Wrekin. On a clear day you can probably see as far as Cannock Chase which is about 60 miles away. As well as improving the site for visitors, buying the new strip of land also keeps ploughing and other agricultural activities slightly further away from the outer ditch of the hillfort, which will help us to preserve and manage site and its setting. Above: One of the numerous animal burrows being dug into the hillfort rampart, particularly where the vegetation is thick and overgrown. Clearing the gorse and brambles will encourage the burrowing animals to take up home somewhere else, causing less damage to the Iron Age hillfort defences. Photograph: l Having put up a new boundary we are now able to gradually remove the old hawthorn hedge around the northern and eastern sides of the hillfort, planted perhaps no more than 50 or 60 years ago. The hedge which is now overgrown and poorly maintained had been set out along the bottom the hillfort ditch, spoiling the setting of the monument. Removing the hedge will make the Iron Age defences much clearer and will make the job of looking after the site much more easier. Again, this work needs to be undertaken outside the nesting season to avoid disturbance to wildlife. Another change that visitors will see is that with the help of grant aid from the Forestry Commission we

27 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 27 have been able to install a bench and picnic table along the line of the Offa s Dyke Path towards the western side of the hillfort. Following discussion with Cadw - Welsh Government, these have been placed to take advantage of the magnificent views westwards, towards Welshpool and Powis Castle and the Severn Valley. Again, on a clear day, views extend as far as Snowdon to the north-west and Cader Idris to the west, which are between about 50 and 60 miles away. It was heartening to see the seats were being used and enjoyed by visitors within minutes of being put in place with the help of the Community Payback team. Bill Britnell. Above: The new strip of land around the eastern side of Beacon Ring hillfort purchased by the Trust in 2012 with the help of grant aid from Cadw Welsh Government. Photograph: , Above: Clearing the old hawthorn hedge running along the bottom of the Iron Age ditch encircling the eastern and northern sides of the hillfort. Photograph: Right: The new bench and picnic table at Beacon Ring, purchased with the help of grant aid from the Forestry Commission. Photographs: , 0075.

28 28 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 CLWYD-POWYS HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD (HER) Funding: Royal Commission, Cadw, CPAT and other sources The Historic Environment Record lies within the Curatorial Section of CPAT and is line managed by the Head of Curatorial Services. As well as regular maintenance, enhancement and administration of the Historic Environment Record this year has seen continued inroads made into processing the backlog of material for addition to the record at the same time as further development of the online HER system WalesHER and Archwilio, the version tailored for public access. The Historic Environment Record Officer would like to express his gratitude to Chris Martin and Sophie Watson for their contributions to the work of the HER during the year, in particular the processing of backlog material. HER Benchmarking Work on HER Benchmarking has again this year been a matter of maintaining and updating existing documentation. The HER Enquiry Form has been updated and references to Archwilio added to the Public Access and Search Facilities document. The HER User Manual has been updated as developments to WalesHER (the online HER software) have been made. The Emergency Disaster Plan for the CPAT offices has been refreshed and the HER Backlog Audit updated. Updated HER Benchmark documents have been uploaded to the CPAT website as necessary. Data updates have been provided for the Extended National Database and to relevant Unitary Authorities (see below). Adoption of a contract for formal IT support mechanisms for WalesHER and Archwilio is still under consideration. A new Forward Plan for 2013/14 has been prepared. Jeff Spencer is the Historic Environment Record Officer and is assisted by Sophie Watson, whose work includes the management and answering of HER enquiries. At various times over the course of the year 5 members of the public have volunteered their time to enhance aspects of the HER. They are Georgia Barton, Jo Munro-Hunt, Gareth Venn, Andy Evans and Rob Dobson. Two of the record photographs taken for the HER by volunteer Rob Dobson. Above: Maen Beuno standing stone and interpretive plaque, Berriew. Right: A Hammond hand-operated petrol pump at Minerva Garage, Llanidloes.

29 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 29 Service Provision to Local Authorities The CPAT HER is formally recognised by all 5 of its local authorities, and the National Park, as the County Sites and Monuments Record and agreements have been signed with all parties relating to HER service provision and the reciprocal exchange of data. Data (at various levels) has been exchanged with Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council and Powys County Council (and Brecon Beacons National Park), and Flintshire County Council. WalesHER software development The pan-wales HER software continues to be widely used across the Trust, being employed to deal with enquiries and project work as well as data entry. A series of training events have been run for CPAT staff and a few select partners, which, along with access to the up to date User Manual have resulted in staff using WalesHER with greater confidence. The main development to WalesHER has been the incorporation of a module which allows the user to compare a project database to the HER and choose which version to accept for the HER. A Skype account has been purchased, allowing CPAT staff to discuss strategic HER and software development issues with colleagues at the other Trusts without having to travel great distances for face-to-face meetings. Throughout the year the HER Officer and Head of Curatorial Services have supported other colleagues in the use of the system and work has also continued to ensure operability, report bugs when necessary and note areas for improvement. Archwilio The main development to Archwilio has been work, in partnership with the University of Glamorgan, on the development of an android smartphone application to allow the public to access and where appropriate, contribute information to Archwilio via their phones. This work will continue into next year. Within Archwilio are 2 weblogs (or blogs) which give users opportunities to feed back information on specific sites and on their experience of using Archwilio, these are checked on a quarterly basis and suggestions for improvements to the structure or to the data in records are acted on where appropriate. WalesHER/Archwilio strategy meetings involving the HER Officers and principal curatorial archaeologists from each Trust are held twice yearly, once in person and once via Skype, to discuss and agree on how best to progress development of the four HERs and the specialist software. Database statistics The relative numbers of HER records in the main data tables are shown below. It is satisfying to note that numbers of records have increased steadily across all the tables. Main tables Number of records Core table 75,408 Events table 49,030 Artefact table 19,640 Scientific dating tables 752 Bibliographical table 66,633 Images 123,539 Associated people 148 Total 275,180 This total is plus another 185 assorted tables of data forming part of the HER. Data entry and editing In addition to day-to-day maintenance of the Historic Environment Record the main task undertaken this year has been enhancement of the HER with the results of the preceding year s Cadw-funded thematic projects. Information from all of the 2011/12 projects has been successfully incorporated into the HER and a start has been made on processing the backlog of information from the 2010/11 Cadw-funded projects. Work has also continued on processing the backlog of grey literature reports resulting from archaeological investigations and creating new event, monument and bibliographic records; this work is well advanced and will continue into 2013/14. An assessment of the journal off-prints awaiting attention in the backlog identified 30 items, of which 15 have subsequently been processed (it is hoped to clear the remainder of this part of the backlog in 2013/14). Several hundred records failed to transfer into WalesHER when the new software was adopted. One of the tasks completed over the course of the year has been to successfully re-establish them in the HER using backup copies created before the data transfer. In the course of maintenance work it was noticed that

30 30 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 several Listed Buildings were not represented by HER records or were mis-sited. A comparison of the HER and an extract from Cadw s Listed Buildings database was run and the HER was updated accordingly. The HER has also been enhanced with information from a minimum of 20 miscellaneous sources including those from the public and development control files, new HER records have been created and existing ones enhanced with new data from sources such as architects plans and personal research projects. During the course of the year, volunteer Jo Munro- Hunt created numerous bibliographic records for articles in several old volumes of the Transactions of the Denbighshire Historical Society and the Flintshire Historical Society Journal. Andy Evans corrected several hundred HER records for which the data about administrative communities was lacking and referenced Council for British Archaeology Newsletters to the HER. He has since begun processing the backlog of photographic surveys of buildings made prior to conversion or demolition. Gareth Venn has been creating a database of historic sites and buildings depicted on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey maps of his home area of Brymbo, Wrexham. Rob Dobson has been photographing archaeological sites and historic buildings across the CPAT region and donating copies to the Trust for enhancement of the HER. Supplement Files has continued throughout 2012/13. HER/SMR Funding Liaison Two meetings dealing with RCAHMW funding for the four Regional HERs were attended this year. END Technical Group Four meetings of this group were attended during the year, the Chair, David Thomas of the RCAHMW, has reported to the Records Co-ordination Working Group, part of the Welsh Strategic Planning Board. ENDEX and CARN data exchange agreement with RCAHMW A data exchange agreement signed with RCAHMW in 1997/98 is still in operation. Data exchange has been taking place quarterly via a secure ftp site hosted by Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales. Data from partners has been processed and can be viewed using the WalesHER GIS mapper. West Midlands Historic Environment Records Forum A meeting of this forum held at The Hive, Worcester, was attended during the year. Jeff Spencer (HER Officer) GIS mapping Graphical and mapped information held in the HER and as MapInfo tables has been maintained throughout the year and is in constant use by all parts of the curatorial section. Data standards In partnership with the RCAHMW and other END Partners the on-line version of the Thesaurus of Monument-types for Wales has been updated with new terms from candidates proposed by archaeologists working in Wales during the year. Work has continued on draft word lists for event type and monument form/ evidence. Non-digital records Curation of non-digital records in the HER Llanwnog Independent Chapel during conversion to residential use. Photographed by volunteer Rob Dobson.

31 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 31 Fieldwork and desk-based projects PREHISTORIC FUNERARY AND RITUAL SITES PUBLICATION Project 715 Funding: Cadw Cursus Monuments The cursus monuments of Wales were the subject of an article by Alex Gibson in 1999, which identified three confirmed sites and a further eight possible monuments, concluding with a call for future research. The intervening years have seen some significant developments, with the discovery of one new cursus, at Dyffryn Lane, near Berriew, and the confirmation of one of the largest cursus in Britain, at Hindwell in Radnorshire. Further investigations have also now dismissed five of the potential sites listed by Gibson, along with one more recent suggestion, while an additional five potential sites have now been recognised. Following on from the Cadw-funded investigations at Dyffryn Lane, and in particular Hindwell, an article is currently in preparation for publication in a national journal summarising the current information for both confirmed and potential cursus monuments in Wales. Known cursus monuments in Wales Large Ring-ditches As part of the study of prehistoric funerary and ritual monuments in mid and North-east Wales small-scale excavations were undertaken on six unusually large ring-ditches, each in excess of 30m in diameter, which were thought at the time to represent possible formative henges. Almost 20 such ring-ditches are currently known within the region, with distinct clusters around the Severn-Vyrnwy confluence and the Walton Basin. These enigmatic sites have recently attracted attention as possible formative henges which, it has been suggested, could date to the Middle Neolithic. Artwork prepared for publication of the Causeway Lane trial work. Distribution of Welsh cursus monuments reassessed in the report being prepared for publication By far the largest ring-ditch is at Walton Court Farm which, at around 100m in diameter, is of a similar size to the earthwork bank and ditch at Stonehenge. Charcoal recovered from the base of the ditch has demonstrated that it had been constructed before BC. Of the six excavated sites dates have been forthcoming from all but one (Dyers Hall Farm), although at Collfryn the dates mere indicate that the ditch remained open into the Iron Age. The results of the study suggest that ring-ditches which are in excess of 30m in diameter fall into two categories, of which the earliest, and also the largest, have disproportionately narrow ditches, as at Walton Court Farm, and also Causeway Lane, near Llanymynech,

32 32 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 which is 55m in diameter and has produced dates of cal. BC and cal. BC. The interiors of both sites remain unexcavated, although cropmark evidence has provided no indication of a central burial. The second category are more likely to be simply large round barrows which may have diameters in excess of 40m, but possess ditches which are more likely to have been the source of material to form a covering mound, sealing the central burial. In the case of the ring-ditch at Pentrehobin, for example, the diameter is 44m and the ditch around 4m wide. This is also the only site where the investigations extended into the interior, identifying a group of pits, one of which contained a charred oak box or coffin which has been dated to cal. BC. Nigel Jones ROMAN MILITARY VICI ASSESSMENT Project 1590 Funding: Cadw Caerau Roman military vicus Prior to this season s work, the most recent investigations at Caerau were undertaken in 2004, when a geophysical survey was carried out and confirmed the presence of settlement to the northwest of the fort. It demonstrated a regular layout of buildings on either side of the Roman road, although no clear plan could be deduced. Evidence for rectangular buildings was also forthcoming outside the north-east rampart of the fort, although an adjacent earthwork bank suggests the possibility that this was an annexe to the fort, rather than part of the vicus. The survey failed to identify any evidence for extra-mural activity in a sample area examined to the south-west of the fort. The primary aim of this year s work was the identification of the boundaries of the vicus by the excavation of a series of test pits, each about 1.2m square, in the area surrounding both the fort and the Caerau Roman fort and its immediate environs (the numbers on the plan refer to entries in the Historic environment Record). Ordnance Survey map base Crown Copyright and database right All rights reserved. Welsh Assembly Government. Licence number

33 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 33 known area of vicus activity, as identified in 1990 and In all, 24 test pits were excavated; they conclusively demonstrated that there was no evidence of extra-mural Roman activity to the south-west of the fort and that the vicus activity to the north-west did not extend beyond the main Roman road (RR 623a). On the south-east side of the fort, there was some limited activity, probably fringing on the site of the gate, but this could not be classed as occupation. to enhance their excavation experience and to increase their knowledge of the archaeology of their Usk Valley locality. The excavation have added significantly to our understanding of extra-mural activity, and have confirmed the significance of a number of features The only area where new evidence regarding the vicus was revealed was in the field to the north-east of the fort, mentioned above, where a number of layers containing Roman material were observed. A test pit was placed on each of the levels of the platform at the lower end of the field and both produced evidence which suggested they had been the site of Roman buildings, although it is clear that this area was heavily disturbed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A feature that was not expected was revealed in a test pit to the south-east of the platform, comprising a ditch aligned approximately north-west/south-east and measuring at least 0.55m deep and probably more than 2m wide. The nature of this feature has not been determined at present, but it may form an additional enclosure appended to the north-east side of the fort, similar to that revealed on the south side of the fort at Hindwell in It is hoped that some additional investigation will be carried out at Caerau in , in order to better understand the nature of the extra-mural activity at the fort. This will potentially include the excavation of further test pits and some limited geophysics to the north of the fort, intended to further define the extent of the vicus. Nigel Jones Pen-y-gaer Roman military vicus Two seasons of excavations have now been conducted to the south of the fort, during 2011 and 2012, both undertaken by volunteers from the Llangynidr Local History Society under the direction of CPAT, with additional assistance in 2012 by volunteers from Brecon U3A and the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association. Grant aid for both the 2011 and 2012 excavations was provided by Cadw, with additional funding in 2011 by The Beacons Trust. Both excavations offered an opportunity for the volunteers Volunteers working on the Pen-y-gaer project in June Photographs: CPAT ,

34 34 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Pen-y-gaer Roman fort and its immediate environs. Ordnance Survey map base Crown Copyright and database right All rights reserved. Welsh Assembly Government. Licence number /. which were initially identified through geophysical survey. Evidence from the excavations, together with antiquarian sources, indicates that a civilian settlement, or vicus, developed to the south of the fort, lying to the west and east of what is believed to be the via principalis, which was later adopted by a modern lane. To the west of the road at least it is now clear that the area was occupied by a complex of buildings which may have been laid out with respect to the Roman road, along with one or more side roads. Although the nature and extent of the occupation remains uncertain, it is clear that there was significant industrial activity, in the form of iron smithing, and it seems likely that the buildings in this area housed a variety of smallscale industries. All of the buildings which have been identified to date appeared to have been constructed on stone sleeper walls, which would have supported timber-framed structures with tiled roofs. Domestic structures have also been recorded, including a small oven, a hearth and a well. The evidence from one of the areas

35 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 35 period remit of this study. Furthermore many of the types of mill listed above were more appropriately considered in the more widely ranging medieval and early post-medieval industry project which ran concurrently with the earlier stages of this project in 2011/12. The present study focused primarily on corn mills and fulling mills, and for the former both watermills and windmills were considered. Volunteers working on the Pen-y-gaer project in June Photographs: CPAT investigated indicates the presence of at least three buildings, each of which may be associated with a different phase of activity, suggesting some longevity to the occupation, including a probable smithy. It is hoped that the results from post-excavation analysis of the pottery will provide an indication of the period during which the vicus was occupied. Nigel Jones MILLS AND MILLING: MEDIEVAL AND EARLY POST-MEDIEVAL SCHEDULING ENHANCEMENT PROJECT Project 1719 Funding: Cadw The project on medieval and early post-medieval mills and milling taken to be of pre-1750 date fell within the third phase of the scheduling enhancement programme undertaken by the four regional trusts in Wales from the mid-1990s. It has been timetabled across two years, with last year s programme focused on the desk-top assessment and the commencement of fieldwork. Fieldwork continued in 2012/13 and the project was rounded off by the completion of two reports, one assessing the results of the project, with a second report providing Cadw with a set of recommendations about potential scheduling targets in the region. There has been only a limited amount of systematic survey of the mills in eastern and north-eastern Wales. Peter Barton has worked on the mills of Montgomeryshire, and Geoff Ridyard on Radnorshire, but to the best of our knowledge the three remaining historic counties have not been examined comprehensively by a mill specialist. At this regional level, Peter Barton s discussion of mills in Montgomeryshire (1999) has been particularly illuminating, a helpful study which sadly has no parallel in any other part of the region. Sources of data included the HER which contained around 900 entries simply termed mills or with an affix such as corn, the NMR, 1st edition large-scale Ordnance Survey maps for counties where there had not been a an earlier mill survey (and as a result of which 76 new records were created for Denbighshire, and 28 for Brecknock), estate maps, selective written and documentary sources within which was included William Rees compilation map of fourteenth century South Wales and the March (1932) which depicted about 56 mills in the region. The dataset from the HER amplified by the desk-top study contained over 1250 records. After removing duplicate entries and obvious errors, the records There is, perhaps not unexpectedly, a wide range of mill types distinguished in the records. Included in the HER or defined on early Ordnance Survey maps, one encounters bark, bone, carding, cement, cloth, copper, corn, cotton, crab (apple), flannel, flour, gorse, grist, gunpowder, iron, lead, paper, saw and walk mills. The floruit of many of these types of mill was the 19th and even the early 20th century, and thus outside the The medieval mill at Ruthin, Denbighshire. Photograph: CPAT

36 36 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 were sorted as efficiently as possible using a series of subjective status indicators to assist in determining which mills might be worth further consideration, and following some refinement of the data and the fieldwork programme, the total number of recorded watermills in the study area was put at around 878 with 42 windmills and about 70 mills indicated only by place-names. are worth considering for protection because of their association. Rossett Mill near Wrexham is a fine half-timbered mill, grade II* listed and of later 17thcentury date. From the perspective of the working industrial complex and from its scenic appearance, the undesignated adjacent mill pond and the mill race are integral elements of the complex which could be considered for protection. Some fairly rigorous decisions had to be made about site visits on the basis of the available criteria. As an example, Felin Cwm Mill Site near Talgarth was described as being a mill site with few remains other than some stone slabs, and a possible leat; the 1887 Ordnance Survey map suggested the presence of a leat, though without the additional evidence of other mill features it was not possible to corroborate the interpretation, and a site visit could not be justified. In a similar vein Marchwiel Mill near Wrexham where there is believed to have been a mill for some centuries, had an adjacent millhouse dating from a remodelling of the 1840s, and the watermill, burnt out in the 1940s, was of similar date. As the mill pond at Marchwiel is more a lake (and had a boat house beside it in the late 19th century) there was nothing that could be attributed to before 1800, and it was ruled out for a site visit. The mills that were visited took various forms. As far as can be established and with the sole exception of the town mill at Ruthin, there are no mills in the region which survive as physical entities from the Middle Ages. Ruthin, indeed, is important enough to have been singled it out for discussion in the standard volume on the archaeology of British mills (Watts 2002) where it was argued that it was the lord s mill, and broadly contemporary with both the castle and the borough. There is, though, a generally held belief that a sizeable number of post-medieval mills occupy positions that had been in use in earlier centuries. A mill is attested at Aberduhonw Grange in Llanddewi r Cwm (Brecs) in the Middle Ages. Aberduhonw is now a single farm and in the 19th century a functioning corn mill lay on the opposite side of the lane from the farm, with an 800m-long mill leat feeding off the Afon Duhonw. On topographical grounds it is likely that the mill has always occupied this location. Some listed mills have infrastructure elements which The 17th-century mill complex at Rossett, Denbighshire. Photograph: CPAT Earthwork remains, presumed to represent mills, perhaps because they lie close to a river or stream and have associated earthworks suggestive of a water supply system. Some such as the site at Llaithddu illustrated here appear authentic, but generally examples are not as prevalent as might be anticipated and were often disappointing in appearance. Broniarth Mill in Guilsfield (Monts), for instance, was recorded in the 16th century and slight earthworks were visible in the 1960s; these remain but are barely intelligible. Insert A possible mill site showing as earthworks at Llaithddu (Llanbadarn Fynyndd) in Radnorshire. Photograph:CPAT

37 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 37 Even the well-known earthworks next to the church at Llanfihangel Nant Melan (Rads), long assumed to be a mill platform with an adjacent pond, was not as convincing as was originally thought: revisited the pond has a distinctly recent appearance and the platform could equally have supported some other type of building. Where there is a standing building, it is now often difficult to determine whether there are pre-1750 features. Carreghofa corn mill (Monts) was first recorded in the second half of the 13th century, but the construction of the Montgomeryshire Canal at the end of the 18th century led to alterations to the leat and weir, and probably to the construction of a new stone and brick corn mill which first appears on maps around this time. Of the original corn mill, nothing appears to survive. Similarly, the former fulling mill now known as the Woolpack at Pandy in Glyn Ceiriog (Denbs) is claimed as one of the earliest mills in Wales dating to the 14th century, and was said to have been converted from a fulling to a grist mill prior to the 17th century. It is now an inn, but the fact that it is not listed suggests that the present building has few obvious early features. The aim over the two sessions of fieldwork was to conduct about 150 site visits and this was achieved, although around twenty of these could not be properly accessed for a variety of reasons. As a result of the fieldwork thirteen scheduling recommendations have been passed to Cadw. Richard Hankinson and Bob Silvester FARMS AND FARMING: MEDIEVAL AND EARLY POST-MEDIEVAL SCHEDULING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME Project 1791 Funding: Cadw The project on farms and farming was always going to be challenging because unlike the precision provided in defining mills or ecclesiastical sites, farming is a much broader theme which at the same time has components that are less easy to quantify. Furthermore of the other trusts only GAT was involved in a similar project during 2012/13 so it was necessary to establish our own parameters for study, with again the chronological cut-off being around In the 2010 scoping exercise the term farming as employed here was felt to encompass a wide range of site types, some agricultural (in the strict sense of the word), some pastoral, some common to both, with a few others that did not fit comfortably into either of these categories. Agricultural practice has generated cairnfields and clearance cairns, open fields, lynchets, ridge and furrow/cultivation ridges and strip field systems, and has led to the construction of corn-drying kilns. Pastoral farming includes hafod sites, water meadows, vaccaries, sheepfolds and the like. Shared site types include farms in the broad sense of an area of land, field systems and stores. Many though not all of these were examined in the present study. The approach for each topic considered within the project was to identify what already exists within the Historic Environment Record (HER), to assess what might be available on Coflein (the on-line National Monuments Record), and then to introduce data from other sources known to the project staff. New HER records were created from the last of these and also, where appropriate, from Coflein data. LiDAR and aerial photography were examined for specific topics, and so too occasional were historic maps. For the farmsteads themselves it was appreciated from the beginning that it would be totally infeasible to assess the vast number that exist within the region, and the only logical approach seemed to be to look at those abandoned farms already scheduled and determine whether components of their holdings might usefully be brought into their scheduled areas. Field visits were relatively few in number and focused on recently identified farming sites where there was thought to be a possibility of a scheduling recommendation. As with the mills Scheduline Enhancement Programme, the project was rounded off by the completion of two reports, one laying out the results of the project, and a second report providing Cadw with recommendations for further scheduling. Fields are the fundamental building block across much of the landscape. The report examined those records of field systems already entered into the HER, set against the background of past research, and a second section offered a necessarily very brief analysis of an extremely large topic, the field systems of east Wales. Assessments were prepared of open fields (and over thirty new HER entries were created derived from

38 38 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 20th-century case studies), strip fields (generally the successors to the open fields), regularly laid out (and generally rectilinear) fields, irregular field systems and lynchets. A section on land use examined arable cultivation with a specific focus on ridge and furrow. The HER carries over eleven hundred records of ridge and furrow, but this total covers a range of origins from: classic medieval ridge and furrow found in Wrexham Maelor, along the northern coastal plain, around the Severn- Vyrnwy confluence and in the Vale of Montgomery, and on a very limited scale in the Walton Basin and in the Wye and Usk lowlands; medieval upland ridge and furrow; post-medieval ridge and furrow; postmedieval upland ridging and betting; upland grooving; to lazy beds. Meadows and particularly water meadows come under this heading (with the number of HER being doubled as a result of the assessment), as do the common pastures, greens, common meadows and woods. Farmholdings as noted above run in to many thousands, and the study focussed in on the assessment of already scheduled deserted rural settlements, using the existing HER record, modern vertical aerial photography, and LiDAR, where this was available. Of 73 scheduled sites around 26 were found to have elements, potentially integrally related and contemporary, lying outside the existing designated area. The same approach was extended to scheduled moated sites, but with limited results. Of eleven scheduled moats in eastern Flintshire and Wrexham Maelor, only one revealed evidence of adjoining features that might be contemporary. Fieldwork was carried out near Llangurig (Monts) where a RCAHMW aerial photograph taken in 1993 had revealed a tract of upland ridging and two enclosures; three discrete areas of ridging were identified on the ground, probably hand-dug, and associated with five settlement sites, a mix of platforms and long huts, and associated enclosures, suggestive of summer pasturing. A fresh assessment was also prepared of Partrishow Common (Brecs), a medieval or slightly later settlement site which has been traversed during an earlier (and prehistoric) scheduling enhancement visit some years previously and where a small scheduled area covering two Post-medieval upland ridging on Coed Swydd in Radnorshire. Photograph: CPAT 92-c-510

39 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 39 adjacent earthwork platforms lies within a coherent, abandoned field system that contains other settlement features. The topic of drying and storage examined corn-drying kilns and their siting and structure and also drew on some historic maps of Brecknock which pinpointed twelve oat kilns, bracken kilns, and stores which include root stores (with Montgomeryshire probably having the only two scheduled examples in the country), root clamps and sunken stores. The consideration of stock management included vaccaries (cattle ranches), sheep (stock) folds, sheep shelters, which usually consist of walls that come in a variety of shapes, and sheep dips and washes, as well as looking, briefly, at the provisions made by farmers for goats, geese and pigs. It was never likely that this particular scheduling enhancement programme would come with a large number of new recommendations. Field systems are not features that can readily be protected under the existing legislation, and many of the most significant farms have of course already been scheduled. In the event nine new or revised scheduling recommendations have been made. Bob Silvester and Richard Hankinson MILITARY AIRFIELD HINTERLANDS: TWENTIETH-CENTURY MILITARY SITES SCHEDULING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME Project 1720 Funding: Cadw This project was part of a further phase of the scheduling enhancement programme undertaken by the four regional trusts since the mid-1990s and follows on from work carried out between 1995 and 2002 under the auspices of the Council for British Archaeology s Defence of Britain project. Partly as a result of the increased interest generated, the Twentieth-Century Military Sites Working Group for Wales was set up in The group helps Cadw identify the most important sites in Wales and works to raise public awareness of their significance. A necessary part of the process of conserving this resource is the recognition and recording of the existing remains to determine which sites, or elements thereof, are worthy of protection by statutory designation. As the second phase of this process, and following on from last year s successful study of airfields, during March 2013 CPAT staff broadened their focus and investigated the military structures built in the hinterlands of the three airfields in the region (RAF Hawarden, RAF Sealand and RAF Wrexham). Prior to this however, in November 2012, an event was held at Hawarden Institute to give people Long hut and enclosure, with clamps and a store at Pant-y-Blodiau, on Mynydd Epynt (Brecs)

40 40 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 an opportunity to learn about the previous year s airfields project and to share their memories of life at the airfields when they were operational. It was also hoped that visitors might impart information useful to the hinterlands project at the same time. Whereas last year we looked at elements within the boundary of each airfield, the project this year sought to understand the significance of the variety of sites and structures built in the landscape around them and to identify the surviving elements that embody that significance, particularly those possessing national and regional importance. It commenced with a desk-top assessment, and following this field visits were made to try to identify any surviving elements on the ground. The work focussed on a study area with a diameter of 5km from the boundary of each airfield. It was assumed that a range of features of varying types originally occupied the hinterlands of the airfields. Numerous pillboxes and other defensive positions were anticipated, bombing decoy sites, accommodation and communal sites, aircraft dispersal sites, aircraft landing and navigational aids and radio communication facilities. Information generated during the project will shortly be fed back into the regional Historic Environment Record in order to provide a basis for heritage management and development control and to contribute to our understanding of the turbulent nature of the 20th century. RAF Hawarden was provided with its fair share of pillboxes and other defences, ten being recognised from desk-based study, but these have not stood the test of time well, having succumbed to the expansion of the Airbus factory, industrial estates, roads and shopping and housing developments in this densely populated corner of Wales. One Type 23 pillbox was located but what made it unique was a polygonal brick and concrete gun pit for a heavier anti-aircraft gun to the north. Nearby was a deep, wide ditch identified during a previous project as a possible anti-glider defence. The elements which define RAF Hawarden are its aircraft dispersals, fields surrounding the airfield where aircraft could be stored and worked on away from the busy and vulnerable airfield. While field Near intact Type 24 pillbox, part of the defensive ring around RAF Hawarden. Photograph: CPAT visits confirmed that most physical traces of these ephemeral sites had disappeared, tracks and three or four circular hard-standings were visible as raised areas at the former Manor Hall Farm dispersal. Also identified was a large level platform beside which stood two concrete blocks, the base for a maintenance hangar. The north-east section of the Officers Mess is the sole survivor on the Officers domestic site, which originally consisted of 34 buildings and structures. At the former WAAF site concrete building bases with brick revetments survive on levelled platforms, sections of concrete paths are linked by sets of two or three concrete steps and two Stanton shelters and a near intact sewage works complete the surviving remains. The pillboxes built to defend RAF Sealand have survived quite well. They are of a variety of different types including an example constructed in woodland which appears to be a Type 24 but which has had its plan altered to allow room for an adjacent tree. The next to it in the circuit of defences around the airfield is unique, having had the north-western half completely destroyed! Built into the railway embankment which overlooks the southern flying field is what appears to be a pillbox built to a local design. There is a unique structure set into a flood defence bank on the west side of South Camp which is generally accepted to be RAF Sealand s Battle Headquarters (a bunker from which to coordinate the defence of the airfield in the event of an attack).

41 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 41 although it has been buried. Of the other structures originally in the defensive localities (nine pillboxes, five prefabricated pillboxes, five seagull trenches and seven anti-aircraft gun emplacements), as far as is known only a single pillbox and seagull trench survive, although others may be hidden beneath quarry spoil. Pillbox of unique design built into the railway embankment between North and South Camps at RAF Sealand. Photograph: CPAT It originally comprised four rooms linked by narrow corridors but doesn t conform to any official designs and interpretation is complicated by one of its two observation rooms having collapsed. Another interesting feature of RAF Sealand is a facility to allow the safe movement of aircraft across the railway between North and South Camps. Sections of tarmac survive to the north and south of the line of the former railway and there are also traces of crossing barriers, to prevent accidental collisions with passing trains. At Mancot Royal to the south of the airfield, the dispersed Married Quarters, which date to before 1927, are all still to be found in use as homes. The main VHF/HF radio station and mast were located to the north-west of Borras Road, and although the mast has been lost, its associated staff accommodation and backup power supply buildings survive as shells. It is also thought that one of the two direction finding buildings vital in guiding aircraft lost in poor weather survive on the golf course to the south of the airfield. What makes RAF Wrexham particularly interesting is that traces of its Q site night-time bombing decoy survive on Ruabon Mountain, some 10km to the westsouth-west. The control bunker survives relatively intact, comprising of two main rooms, one originally for lighting control and the other housing a power supply. Jeff Spencer RAF Wrexham is rather different to the other two airfields in that its hinterland has been thoroughly researched by Derek Pratt and Mike Grant. Thanks to their work we have a benchmark against which to measure the types of structure to be expected to have once stood within the hinterlands of the other two airfields, although post-war quarrying for sand and gravel has removed much of the airfield and has taken many of these features with it, such that only four are now considered to be intact or near intact. The defences of RAF Wrexham were apparently organised into three defended localities comprised of groups of pillboxes interlinked with other defensive features, in contrast to the rings of defences at the other two airfields, which were built slightly earlier. The Battle Headquarters is also believed to survive, The control bunker for the Q site bombing decoy for RAF Wrexham on Ruabon Mountain. Photograph: CPAT

42 42 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 HEN CAERWYS COMMUNITY EXCAVATION Project 1756 Funding: Cadw Hen Caerwys, a rural site of medieval date on the limestone plateau of Flintshire and close to the Edwardian plantation of Caerwys was discovered at some point prior to 1960, and was partially excavated by the Flintshire Historical Society between 1962 and 1968 when two house platforms were examined. One was published in 1979, in the same year that the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments in the Welsh Office scheduled much of the complex. Hen Caerwys remained overgrown and poorly understood for another fifteen years, and it was not until 1993 when Cadw grant-aided the Clwyd Archaeology Service to survey the site as one element of an on-going management plan, that the first full plan of the area emerged. This was undertaken as an EDM survey on the latter s behalf by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, and was only possible because of extensive clearance works carried out by the landowner, Mr Mike Owens, as part of his management agreement with Cadw. It was against the background of a site that when first excavated in the 1960s was lauded as the first known, abandoned nucleated medieval settlement in north-east Wales that Cadw decided to run a small community excavation during the 2011 Festival of British Archaeology, to re-focus attention on what is arguably the most important rural medieval settlement site in the north-east of Wales and to attempt to resolve some of the issues raised by the incomplete excavation records that survive and the piecemeal interim reports. The success of that trial project led to a further season of work in The complex of earthworks that make up Hen Caerwys lie within three contiguous tracts of mature broadleaved woodland and two pasture fields, in total an area of nearly 12 hectares. The several house platforms form two discrete groups, both lying below south-facing natural scarps and on the plateau above are a number of stone banked enclosures and fields, and some trackways which present an irregular appearance. Almost certainly later is a substantial embanked rectangular enclosure which overlies a bank of the field/enclosure system, and because of its proximity, this could be contemporary with another near square enclosure which contains the Volunteers at work at Hen Caerwys in Photograph: CPAT As part of the project a Dig Diary was maintained throughout the project on the CPAT website ( diary12.htm

43 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 43 Photograph: CPAT low foundations of a house and a platform set at right angles to it. Together these suggest a discrete farm complex set across the earlier fields and enclosures of the more nucleated settlement represented by the house platforms. It is likely that a second similar farm complex lies just to the south. The 2012 excavation in July again coincided with the Festival of British Archaeology. Three trenches were examined. Trench 1 cut across an enclosure bank that had been opened in 2011, but not completed in the time available; it had been covered over and then backfilled, and was then re-opened this year. The bank proved to be 3.9m wide with a height of around 0.6m above the bedrock; the presence of large limestone blocks gave some form to the structure, implying that it was originally a broad but low feature, with larger lumps of limestone edging the smaller rubble in the core. Unfortunately, the excavation failed to help with either the date or the function of the enclosure through which it was cut. Trench 2 was also opened in 2011 to confirm the position of the Flintshire Historical Society s second platform excavation in the 1960s. Again it was covered over and reopened this year. The trench was located towards the southern, downhill end of the platform, straddling the projected line Contingency funding from Cadw at the end of the financial year allowed the 1993 plans of the settlement features at Hen Caerwys which were on drawing film to be digitised and collated with the existing field pattern and the National Grid. Ordnance Survey map base Crown Copyright and database right All rights reserved. Welsh Assembly Government. Licence number

44 44 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 of its eastern long wall and centred upon what was presumed to be a surviving pier of walling. A rubble layer spread across the entire trench and overlay a compact sandy clay that was clearly of natural origin. The only finds were retrieved from the upper surface of the rubble and included modern nails, 20th-century glass and ceramics, three sherds of 15th- or 16th- century pottery, some animal bone fragments and unidentifiable iron objects, the earlier pieces presumably re-deposited or overlooked in the otherwise remarkably thorough excavation conducted by the Flintshire Historical Society in the 1960s. The third trench was a new venture, set across the foundations of the house set in the near square referred to above. Externally some 24.0m long and 8.4m wide, the house had at least three compartments or rooms, possibly four, and the excavation trench was set out across the most westerly one close to the end wall. The walls of the building were well-defined, at least on the inner faces where rough limestone blocks generally only one course high defined their line. The outer wall faces presented a very different appearance. Only on the north side where there were three upright revetment slabs in a line and well-embedded could the line of the outer wall face be confidently established. Elsewhere on the north and along the entire wall face on the south, it was impossible to pinpoint a wall face, and it was the undifferentiated rubble infill of the walls that was encountered. It seems likely that the pressure of the roof bearing down on the walls had a much more drastic effect on the outside than on the inside faces. Within the house under the collapsed rubble a basal layer ran under both the north and south walls of the house, but its composite character is indicated by the fact that it also butted up against the walls internally and it can be conjectured that the floor of the compartment was also of compacted earth. Immediately to the north of the house, the surface of the ground was hollowed from which it was inferred there might be either a gully around the platform or perhaps a worn trackway leading into the interior of the main enclosure through an otherwise unidentified entrance. Excavation revealed that limestone blocks had been prised out to leave a sharp-sided hollow up to 1.1m and 0.5m deep. This was filled up with silt and lumps of limestone and contained a considerable amount of animal bone. While it is possible that this acted as a drainage gully, it is as likely that it was a shallow quarry that provided building stone and then was allowed to fill up with silt and debris. The platform to the north of the house was included in the trench. There were no artefacts nor any stratigraphy that might have provided a clue to its function, but the natural limestone pavement flat thin slabs of limestone had been laid down to create a level floor or standing. Finds included three sherds of Roman pottery from Trench 3 suggesting a previously unsuspected and earlier phase of activity and a range of medieval and post-medieval pottery, which though sparse in quantity, implies a long period of occupation from the 14th or 15th century through to the 18th or even the 19th century. It now seems likely that the building is not as first anticipated a medieval long-house but a cottage of post-medieval date set on what in the 18th century was a common One of the outstanding issues with Hen Caerwys has been the state of the plans that were available from the 1993 survey. Contingency funding from Cadw at the end of the financial year allowed the 1993 plans of the settlement features at Hen Caerwys which were on drawing film to be digitised and collated with the existing field pattern and the National Grid. The result will allow additional work at Hen Caerwys to be planned with greater confidence and illustrate the publication of the excavations in due course. Bob Silvester

45 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 45 STRATA MARCELLA FIELD ASSESSMENT Project 1756 Funding: Cadw The earthwork remains of the Cistercian abbey of Strata Marcella lie on the west bank of the Severn, about 3km to the north-north-east of Welshpool. The abbey was founded in 1170 at the invitation of Owain Cyfeiliog, prince of southern Powys, and he was buried there in Although the abbey suffered during Edward I s Welsh wars, building work continued on the site until the early 14th century. In the abbey was partially destroyed during the Owain Glyndwr risings, and though the abbey remained active until the Dissolution it went into decline as a result. By 1536, when it was dissolved, there were few monks and some of the monastic buildings were already ruinous. It seems that the monastery was then largely dismantled, with some of the stone apparently being taken for use in the building of nearby churches, while Abbey Farm was erected in the ruins, probably over the claustral ranges with the cloister being used for the farm s courtyard. The site was the subject of excavations in 1890 by the Geophysical survey in progress at Strata Marcella in 2012 with the Breidden Hills in the distance. Powysland Club, which largely focused on the abbey church, while a geophysical survey was undertaken in 1990, although this was not particularly revealing. The current project follows on from a scheduling enhancement programme of medieval monastic sites conducted by CPAT in 2010/11 and is a continuation of fieldwork during 2011/12, funding for both studies being provided by Cadw. The previous season of investigation comprised a detailed topographical survey, together with the recording of various features eroding from the northern bank of the Severn. This year s work has comprised a detailed geophysical survey carried out with a magnetic gradiometer. The plan showing the results is a combination of a series of 20m-square grids, each of which contained 3200 individual readings; these were combined and minimally processed using Archeosurveyor software to provide a greyscale image of the results. The grids were laid out and located in relation to local field boundaries by a combination of total station survey and taped measurement. The survey areas could then be related to modern Ordnance Survey mapping, thereby enabling the co-ordinates of any significant anomalies to be determined. Aerial view of the abbey earthworks in 1988, viewed from the east. The excavated part of the abbey church is clearly visible, with the site of the cloisters to the left, and the leat is also a prominent feature with slight earthworks visible between it and the river. The precinct boundary is also apparent, with much of its interior and the surrounding area covered by post-dissolution ridge and furrow. Photograph: CPAT 88-c-0045 By combining the results from the topographical survey and both phases of geophysics it has been possible to produce a more detailed interpretation of the abbey remains than has been proposed previously. These are detailed in the project report and relate to the Abbey Church and Cloisters, Conventual Buildings, the Abbey Precinct, the Abbey Leat, and Post-dissolution Features. Nigel Jones and Richard Hankinson

46 46 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Combined results from the 1990 resistivity survey carried out by Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, the CPAT 2011 earthwork and 2012 geophysical surveys with interpretation.

47 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 47 LLANYMYNECH HILL MANAGEMENT PLAN Project 1792 Funding: Cadw Llanymynech Hill forms an impressive landmark, with its limestone cliffs visible for some considerable distance. The hill lies on the western edge of the Shropshire Plain overlooking the confluence of the Vyrnwy and Severn and the ramparts of the hillfort which occupies the hilltop, for much of the surviving circuit, form both a physical and political boundary between Wales and England. The prominence of the hill, together with its natural defences, provided an ideal site for the founding of a large hillfort in the later prehistoric period and there is a belief in some quarters that this was the site of Caractacus last stand against the Romans in AD 51. The defences of the disused hillfort were subsequently utilised for the line of Offa s Dyke in the early medieval period. The natural resources of the hill, principally copper, lead, zinc and limestone, have been exploited since the Iron Age, although the major focus of industrial activity shifted from the plateau top to its base around the time of the industrial revolution in the later 18th century. From the 1930s the hilltop has been occupied by Llanymynech Golf Club. The recent study has drawn together the numerous and disparate sources relating to Llanymynech Hill, as well as undertaking limited fieldwork, in an assessment of the current state of knowledge, the archaeological potential of the hill and potential management issues. The Hillfort Llanymynech Hill is now recognised as one of the largest hillforts in Britain with an area of about 57ha. The defences of the hillfort are best preserved on its north and north-east sides, where at least three ramparts with associated ditches can be traced. The largest surviving entrance lies on the north side, where the earthworks of the innermost rampart are inturned, but this was apparently cut off by later banks and ditches and these could be contemporary with a smaller entrance on the north-east side of the fort, where the outermost rampart also appears to be inturned. The south side of the hill appears to have been defined by a limestone escarpment, but the potential layout of the ramparts has been lost, owing largely to the effects of quarrying activity. The interior of the hillfort presents a rolling landscape with some steep slopes, occasionally rocky where the limestone bedrock approaches the surface. Despite the elevated nature of the hill there are still sheltered areas, probably with deeper soils, which would have been suitable for settlement. Llanymynech Hill from the south-east. Photograph: CPAT 92-c-1049 Burials Explorations of the natural cave known as the Ogof and the surrounding area in the 18th century apparently revealed a number of in-situ burials, some of which were found in conjunction with material considered at that time to be of Roman date, although much of this is now missing so the cultural context is impossible to corroborate. In the mid-19th century two further skeletons were apparently found buried in trenches near the entrance to the Ogof, in association with what is described as a battleaxe of mixed metal. In 1996 observations during the construction of a new Greenkeeper s shed at the golf club identified a small grave containing the lower limbs of an extended juvenile burial, which has been dated to cal. BC.

48 48 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Mining and Quarrying The hill has been heavily affected by mining and quarrying, but it is the latter which has left the greatest mark, with the larger-scale 19th-century work creating the vertical limestone cliffs to the south and southeast, which are visible from some distance. Mining on the hill was of rather longer duration and almost certainly goes back well into the prehistoric period. A range of early mine workings have been identified on Llanymynech Hill, although most attention has been paid to the Ogof. However, the earliest workings are now thought to be the series of open pits located in the north-western part of the hillfort. It is likely that copper ores were the most plentiful of the mineral reserves and excavations in 1981 uncovered evidence for copper smelting in crucibles immediately inside the eastern ramparts of the hillfort. This was dated to 162 cal. BC AD cal. 53, with other activity in the period cal. BC. Mining seems to have undergone a hiatus following the Roman period and although there are references

49 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 49 to activity in the 12th century there is little evidence for mining until the end of the 17th century, when gunpowder was used to re-open older workings. Later mining appears to have been rather sporadic.although the quarrying of limestone is likely to have a long history, large-scale exploitation only commenced in the 19th century, following the opening of the Montgomeryshire Canal and later the railway. Management The compilation of digital datasets within a Geographical Information System (GIS) has been a major element of the project, enabling a multilayered approach to the mapping of Llanymynech Hill. An extract was obtained from the regional HER for Powys which provided point data for all recorded cultural heritage sites. This was then enhanced with the addition of new sites recorded during the desk-based study, and the updating of some existing records. Full use was made of the available digital mapping, including the Next Perspectives vertical aerial photography and Landmark Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 mapping from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data was purchased for the project from the Geomatics Group as an ascii digital terrain model,

50 50 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 although this was only available at 2m resolution. Nevertheless, this enabled the production of a detailed contour model of the hill at 5m vertical intervals, as well as the production of a hill-shade model where the elevation and azimuth of the sun could be varied to highlight different earthworks. Llanymynech Hill covers an area of around 75ha, spanning the border between England and Wales, within which there is a wealth of archaeological evidence relating to activity from at least the later prehistoric period to the industrial era. Apart from the fact the hill is in two countries, the management of the archaeological resource is complicated by issues of landownership and land-use, vegetation and public access so that any strategic approach must be broadbased. The project has used the available data to both map the known archaeological resource, and identify a range of activities which have the potential to impact on the resource. Nigel Jones and Richard Hankinson WHITFORD DYKE: SURVEY AND MANAGEMENT Project 1789 Funding: Cadw The linear earthwork known as the Whitford Dyke (PRNs and 28099) has been traced intermittently for around 9km, from a presumed northern end to the west of Trelawnyd to its southern extent beyond the Holywell Earth Circle, a prehistoric hengiform monument. The majority of the upstanding sections have been scheduled on the basis that they were originally thought to be part of Offa s Dyke, although this has now been discounted and the monument is instead seen as a separate boundary earthwork or short dyke belonging to the early medieval period. Several sections of the dyke have Trial excavations in progress at Ty Griana. Topsoiling in progress near Trelawnyd. been the subject of small-scale excavations, initially by Fox during the 1920s, then as part of the Offa s Dyke Project during the 1970s and 1980s, and more recently in 2008/09 by CPAT as part of a Cadw-funded project designed to assess a number of potential cursus monuments. None of the sections excavated previously had produced any dating evidence and a further programme of investigation was therefore conducted by CPAT during 2012, again with funding from Cadw. in 2012/13 a single trench, 25m long and 1.5m wide, was excavated across the earthwork at the southern end of the field immediately north of Ty Griana, 300m south of the Holywell Earth Circle. This produced no evidence for a surviving bank, although this could originally have been up to 8m wide, but demonstrated that the ditches were between 4.9m and 5.7m wide and up to 0.7m deep. Radiocarbon dating of samples from the lower fills of the eastern ditch unexpectedly produced dates of between AD , presumably indicating a degree of disturbance by later activity, perhaps related to nearby quarrying, as was

51 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 51 more evident in the section through the western ditch and was also suggested by the limited range of charred plant remains. That the origins of the earthwork belong to an earlier period can only be deduced from its relationship with the late enclosure landscape through which it runs. It clearly predates the present roads and land divisions which are likely to date from the later 18th century, the area previously having been unenclosed commonland, and also predates the 18thcentury Holywell Racecourse. Also in 2012/13 a second trench was excavated at the north-western end of the monument a trench near Gop Farm to investigate a stretch of the dyke which has been thought questionable for some time. The results demonstrated beyond all doubt that what was previously seen as the northern end of the dyke can now be discounted as it is a trackway and associated embankment. This also brings into question the other sections in the village of Trelawnyd, where a low bank along the north side of the A5151 had been suggested as a continuation of the dyke and scheduled as such. To the north of the Holywell Earth Circle, and south of the A55, a magnetometer survey investigated an area where the line of the dyke had been predicted, but for which no surviving earthworks or cropmark evidence existed. The results failed to identify any potential features associated with the dyke, although other anomalies were present, suggesting that there may always have been a gap in the monument at this point. As a boundary feature the earthwork runs more or less along the spine of the Flintshire plateau, dividing the hinterland of the Dee Estuary from the Vale of Clwyd. This is not to say, however, that the entire monument is of the same date. The limited excavations undertaken so far have demonstrated considerable variation in the dimensions and preservation of the dyke, perhaps indicating that it was not all constructed at the same time. There is, for instance, a considerable difference between the size and separation of the ditches at Brynbella and the dimensions of the section close to the Holywell Earth Circle. Arguably then, the association between the three main sections of the dyke as proposed here has yet to be established with certainty. Hill and Worthington favour only the more impressive earthworks either side of Brynbella as being part of the Whitford Dyke, although the form of the earthwork adjacent to the Holywell Earth Circle is undoubtedly similar, with a central bank and flanking ditches, and this is perhaps unlikely to be coincidental. Towards Trelawnyd, however, further work is clearly required to establish the form of the earthwork and in particular determine with certainty the presence or absence of any associated ditches. Nigel Jones WALTON BASIN: COMMUNITY, SURVEY AND MANAGEMENT Project 1788 Funding: Cadw Recent Cadw-funded project work in the Walton Basin, as part of the Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites and the Roman Military Vici initiatives, combined with the results of earlier assessment work by the Trust under the direction of Alex Gibson and also funded by Cadw, continues to highlight the importance and complexity of this area of eastern Radnorshire, which is virtually unparalleled elsewhere within the British Isles. The area encapsulates the archaeology of the Welsh borderland and is so far known to contain evidence for multiperiod activity from the early post-glacial period onwards. Recent studies have focused on the complex of prehistoric monuments around Hindwell and Walton, most of which date from the Neolithic, and include some of the largest sites of their type in Britain, such as the Hindwell cursus and the Hindwell palisaded enclosure. The importance of the area as a base for Roman military campaigns is also becoming more apparent and the strategic significance of the routeway which passes through the basin into mid Wales remained influential well into the medieval period. It has been apparent for some time that the archaeology of the Walton Basin is under varying degrees of threat from continued ploughing in this highly productive agricultural area, as well as from piecemeal development, both of which are having a very real impact upon the archaeological resource. Few archaeological sites retain any upstanding element and are generally known only from cropmark evidence, which has raised a number of issues regarding the future management of the nationally important complex. The present study has therefore been developed in

52 52 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 order to address some of the known issues relating to the management of this extensive and complex archaeological landscape. Work during 2012/13 saw the completion of an initial phase of assessment, which included recommendations for further stages of investigation, some of which will form part of a second phase during 2013/14. The initial stage was to define the study area. It adopted the Ordnance Survey 1km grid to provide a ready framework, covering an area of 33km2, which extended for up to 9km from west to east and 5km north to south. The area focuses principally on the valley floor, although necessarily includes sections of the upland edge where these fall within the grid squares. cropmarks and earthwork sites into a Geographical Information System (GIS) that could be linked to the HER.The development of site-specific mapping was critical to the study since point data alone would have been insufficient to assess potential impacts on the archaeology with many of the sites extending over a considerable area and often over more than a single field. Aerial photography and LiDAR were also employed to map palaeochannels, visible both as cropmarks and earthworks, in an attempt to understand the historic hydrology within the basin. Available datasets were An extract was obtained from the regional Historic Environment Record (HER), initially containing records for monuments of all periods, although this was subsequently refined to exclude all post-medieval and later sites. The resulting dataset was enhanced through updating the description and location of sites where appropriate, as well as adding new records for previously unrecorded sites identified through an examination of available aerial photographs and LiDAR data, both of which allowed the plotting of Above: Project report in preparation on work carried out in 2012/13. Comparative land-use studies of the Walton basin study area in the 1804s, 1992, 2006 and 2009, undertaken as an aid to assessing risk to archaeological sites.

53 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 53 also used to produce a ditigal terrain model (DTM) of the study area, allowing the production of closeinterval contour data to facilitate the study of the micro-topography and its relationship with the siting of monuments and also the vulnerability of those sites to agricultural practices. A preliminary study of the field patterns in the Walton Basin was conducted in an attempt to shed some light on the otherwise relatively poorly understood history of settlement and land- use during the early medieval, medieval and early post-medieval periods. This utilized readily available sources, including 18th-century estate maps and the later 19th-century Ordnance Survey mapping. A land-use study for the basin had previously been conducted as part of the Walton Basin Project during August 1992, which was based on field visits. The resulting mapping was digitised as part of the present project to provide baseline data for a new study which was undertaken remotely, using available vertical aerial photography from 2006 and The combined data from all three years was then used to develop a predictive model for the potential risks to archaeology posed by the apparent agricultural regimes. Historic landuse was also recorded, using information from the tithe surveys of the 1840s. The final assessment phase of the project comprised an examination of how farming and cultivation methods can affect archaeology in general, followed by an assessment of the potential impacts on sites within the study area. This was in part based on a series of studies conducted in England, including the Conservation of Scheduled Monuments in Cultivation, (COSMIC) study and the more detailed Trials project funded by English Heritage, although the approach adopted for the Walton Basin was necessarily less detailed. The assessment involved analysing the extent, form and vulnerability of each monument and comparing this with the landuse data to provide a predictive model for the potential risks to sites from agricultural practices. Based on the results from the assessment of landuse and monuments at risk, proposals were developed to test the predictive model in the field through a series of small-scale trial interventions, which it is hoped will be undertaken during a subsequent year. Through the Trust s work in this area over the past twenty years the level of public awareness of the archaeology has seen a significant increase. It has been recognised for some time that the involvement of the community in the heritage of their area is of critical importance in promoting both a sense of belonging and a wider awareness and responsibility for the archaeology and this theme forms a key element of the current project. Artwork produced for the How the West was Won exhibition and booklet.

54 54 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 interest. An article on the Neolithic sites in the basin will shortly be published in the CBA s British Archaeology magazine and an 80-page booklet summarizing the archaeology of the Walton Basin is also in preparation Nigel Jones and Bill Britnell Booklet in preparation giving an up-to-date account of the archaeology of the Walton basin. An exhibiton on the archaeology of the Walton basin was mounted for the Royal Welsh Show on July. The CPAT stand was positioned in the Countryside Area of the showground, close to Cadw and RCAHMW, and featured a new display comprising a series of bilingual boards introducing the public to the range and significance of the major group of Neolithic enclosures in the Walton basin. English and Welsh booklets was also produced to accompany the exhibition. The stand was well attended with over 450 visitors over the four days, including several of local landowners and other local residents. Other community initiatives have included a guided walk around parts of the basin, focusing on a wide range of archaeological sites. The exhibition has now transferred to Radnorshire Museum, Llandrindod Wells and is expected to appear at other venues in mid Wales in due course. HELDRE HILL, LONG MOUNTAIN Project 1845 Funding: Cadw In November 2012 Cadw provided a contingency grant to enable the Trust to conduct a geophysical survey of the ground around a small, obviously unfinished earthwork on Long Mountain. Known for some time, but inaccurately positioned in the HER, the earthwork comprises one complete and two partial sides of a small enclosure, with dimensions of about 32m from crest to crest along the one complete side. The position of the enclosure is potentially significant. Heldre Hill is a broad faintly domed ridge, the crest being some 150m or more to the south of the earthwork which lies on very gently sloping ground with the break of slope giving way to the drop into the Severn valley a short distance to the north. To the south-west is a dingle, steep-sided and moderately deep though becoming deeper further down the hillside, and conversely shallowing out to almost level ground a short distance to the south. The enclosure is set back from the dingle but only by 30m or so, and A note on the exhibition was also be published in Cadw s Heritage in Wales magazine to appear this autumn. An article on the Neolithic enclosures of the Walton basin was published on 9 July in the Festschrift, Reflections on the Past, presented to Frances Lynch, published by the Cambrian Archaeological Association. A lecture on recent work on Neolithic enclosures in the Walton basin was presented to a conference jointly organized by the Society for Landscape Studies and the Woolhope Club on Landscape History of Herefordshire held on September 22 in Hereford, which attracted much

55 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 55 the impression that is gained is that the enclosure was positioned to take advantage of this natural feature. The location of the enclosure is significant, set well forward of the ridge crest. From the crest better views would be obtained to the south, but much of the eastern side of the Severn plain would be obscured. From the existing location only the bottom of the slope on to the plain is invisible, and there are panoramic views over the entire Severn valley to Llanymynech and beyond, with the whole of the Breidden and its hillfort visible. This position coupled with the size of the earthwork and the proximity of a putative Roman road points to the presence of a Roman fortlet, albeit an incomplete one. A total station survey of the visible earthwork was conducted at the same time as the geophysics. The latter, however, provided no additional corroborative evidence for the interpretation. As far as can be determined, the only evidence of a ditch seen in the geophysics results is from the partial infill of the north-east ends of the existing cutting on both the north-west and south-east sides of the earthwork. No infilled ditch could be identified on the northeast side of the monument, and although there did appear to be traces of a linear bank, about 1.5m wide, running approximately north-west/south-east and showing as a lighter band on the geophysics plot, this probably relates to the extant if relict field bank that runs along the south-eastern edge of the enclosure. The geophysics thus confirms that the earthwork is unfinished, rather than being constructed as a complete enclosure and then levelled out by later agrarian activity. Bob Silvester HISTORIC SETTLEMENTS REASSESSMENT Project 1593 Funding: Cadw In 1993, the Trust co-operated with the then National Park archaeologist for the Brecon Beacons in producing an assessment of the historic settlements in the Beacons region and followed this with a report on northern Brecknock later in the same year. These were the first of ten such studies for east and northeast Wales that appeared between 1993 and 1995 embracing the entire region for which the Trust had a remit. The aims of the reports included the production of a general picture of historic settlement in the area; the identification, in as far as the evidence allowed, of those areas within the historic settlements that could be termed archaeologically sensitive, in order to inform the day-to-day and long-term planning processes initiated by the local authority; and thirdly the definition of specific areas of potential archaeological significance where further archaeological assessment or evaluation might be required in advance of development. In the years since those reports were circulated, there have been considerable changes in our perceptions of the emergence, development and in some instances the collapse of historic settlements across the country. A series of Cadw-funded studies, for instance, have had a bearing on settlement studies, including the historic churches survey ( ), the early medieval ecclesiastical sites survey ( ) and even the deserted medieval rural settlement survey ( ); all played a part in enhancing our understanding of settlement development in eastern Wales, as did some rather more specific and detailed ground surveys such as those of village earthworks in Brecknock and Radnorshire (1993 and 1996). Then there are the results that have accrued from developerfunded works whether excavation, evaluation, watching brief or building recording as a result of local authorities implementing PPG16 and, from 2002, Planning Policy Wales. Thirdly, there are recently published studies which have transformed our thinking on certain topics. Most notable in this context are the place-name investigations by Hywel Wyn Owen and Richard Morgan (2007) and the first volume of the early medieval inscribed stones corpus prepared by Mark Redknap and John Lewis (2007). And finally but the least tangible are the ever-improving perceptions and appreciation (or so we hope) of settlement in east Wales, as a result of accumulated expertise, and the accessing of research from other regions of Wales and England. In 2010 it seemed an appropriate time to re-examine the historic settlements of the region, more than fifteen years on from those initial studies. Various questions had been raised. Had developer funding in advance of the potential destruction or damage to the cultural heritage had much of an effect and if so where? Had our knowledge and appreciation of the historic

56 56 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 settlements markedly improved in the last fifteen years? And in a departure from the practice in the early 1990s when the Internet was little more than an unfulfilled dream, could we successfully disseminate that information so that it could be accessed digitally to satisfy the increasing number of people who search our website? There are several hundred historic settlements in eastern Wales and it was not possible to examine them all as a single exercise, so in 2010 the former local authority areas of Brecknock Borough and Radnorshire were selected to start the programme, in 2011 the project covered Montgomeryshire and Flintshire, and in 2012/13 it was extended to the Brecon Beacons National Park area and Wrexham County Borough. The original study of the National Park area listed 53 settlements, omitting Brecon itself because of its size and complexity (a separate study of the town was undertaken later in 1993). The current survey covers 34 settlements, excluding the 14 National Park settlements which are outside Powys, several of which Vaynor, Penderyn and Llanell were formerly in Breconshire. Also omitted are settlements such as Bwlch and Talybont which represent largely post-1750 developments, while two settlements Llanfaes and Llechfaen have been included for the first time. At the apex of the hierarchy of historic settlements in most areas are the towns and in the National Park there are six (including Brecon) which have their origins in a deliberately laid out plantation or planned settlement. Planning is most obvious in Crickhowell with its grid pattern of streets lying at right-angles to each other, and the same is true of Hay-on-Wye where the topography prevented a more economical layout and Talgarth where two or three streets run down from the church, and market place towards the river. Tretower was also planned its short parallel streets next to the early castle showing some degree of deliberate design, and more surprisingly perhaps Pencelli, not a town in the accepted sense, but like Crickhowell and Tretower the caput or chief place of a sub-lordship. The two parallel lanes below Pencelli castle, now complicated by the passage of the canal, have the appearance of a planned layout though clearly one that failed to thrive. Nucleated settlements are now well attested in southern Powys, primarily because of the survival of earthworks that point to both the dwellings and their crofts. Indeed, in eastern Wales it is Brecknock that stands out because of its nucleations, for it is the Anglo-Norman takeover of the Usk and Wye valleys that set the region apart from areas further to the north. That said, the phenomenon is considerably more pronounced in Brecknock Borough at places such as Llanddew and Llanfihangel Talyllyn, and not one of the historic settlements in the Park has a convincing display of relict settlement earthworks. Instead it is to the morphology of the settlements that we need to look. Llangattock with its narrow lanes and its location on the other side of the Usk to Crickhowell, Llangors with a possible row of tenement plots that give the appearance of an early concentration of dwellings, and Defynnog again with an interesting street pattern in the valley below the church are all obvious candidates, even if there is no solid evidence to corroborate the suggestions. Most interesting of all perhaps is Trecastle where two medieval villages lie side by side, one in the ownership of the lord of Brecon, the other in the hands of the Bishop of St Davids, though today they constitute but a single settlement. There are also a group of modern farms or hamlets which show few physical traces of ever having been a village yet where documentary evidence or settlement morphology contradicts this assumption. Most are on the west side of the Llynfi Valley and therefore in Brecknock Borough, Tredustan, Tredomen and Court Llaca being examples. But one, Trefecca, is in the National Park and there may be others. Tretower In terms only of numbers, church settlements head the list. The term church settlement is a useful collective one, although it is one that does not figure in the classic texts on historic settlement. Indeed in

57 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 57 that some degree of grouping or nucleation might be assumed from the use of the term settlement, the label is a paradox. For the morphology of a church settlement centres on the fact that the church appears to be positioned by itself or perhaps with no more than a single farm, an inn or a rectory for company. The church, then, is the settlement. In some instances it might be suspected that former dwellings have been abandoned or swept away leaving few if any visible traces, but some churches and chapels almost certainly never attracted more than a solitary dwelling around them, for they served a community dispersed in landholdings around the parish, and in the Park, Llanilltyd is a classic case. The list of church settlements is potentially a long one: Aberyscir, Cantref, Cathedine, Llanfihangel Cwmdu, Llanbedr, Llanddetty, Llanelieu, Llanfeugan, Llangasty Talyllyn, Llangenny, Llanhamlach, Llanigon, Llansantffraed, Llywel, Partrishow, Trallong and Ystradfellte. Archaeological research may demonstrate in due course that some of those listed above were accompanied by dwellings in earlier centuries, but for the present in nuclear terms these occupy the bottom rung of the ladder. Wrexham County Borough is arguably the least coherent of the regions that are dealt with in these studies of historic settlements in east Wales. It is little more than an entirely artificial construct conjured up purely for administrative convenience. A block of lowland east of the Dee Wrexham Maelor which protrudes into England and might have been, had historical circumstances been different, a portion of Cheshire, is tied to the gradually rising ground to the west centred on Wrexham and cut by the River Clyweddog and further north the River Alyn. Nor is this the end of it, for since our regional report on Wrexham Maelor in 1992, the area has been reconfigured to take in a sliver of historic Denbighshire along the River Ceiriog. With such an artificially contrived layout, it is perhaps no surprise that the settlements are such a heterogeneous collection, ranging in size from Wrexham, one of the largest towns in north Wales to Whitewell and Redbrook which some would probably hesitate to term settlements until the twentieth century, and in age from Bangor Is-y-coed, surely one of the earliest places documented in Wales to Bronington, one of the most recent. Indeed, a reassessment of those settlements that were included in the 1992 report in the light of the revised ceiling of 1750 for considering historic settlements (for which see the introductory section to each individual settlement report) has led to the exclusion of a sizeable number of places during the current study. Lightwood Green, Horseman s Green, Tallarn Green and Crabtree Green are linked by their affixes which signal the presence of a piece of common land around which houses gradually emerged. But in the absence of any pre-1750 mapping, it would be a less cautious commentator or perhaps one who had considerably more time to spend in the archives who would argue that these nucleations went back into the medieval or Tudor era. Further to the north-west and southwest of Wrexham the rash of settlements such as Johnstown, Coedpoeth and Brymbo are a function of the inexorable industrialisation of the region, a trend of the late eighteenth century, though not exclusively so. Llay was included in 1992 because of the medieval moated enclosure at Llay Hall farm, but there is no substantive evidence that this ever developed into the focus of a nucleated settlement, and indeed it is considerably more likely that this remained as an isolated farm, albeit as a higher status establishment than its neighbours. We are left with a rump of 20 settlements, a contrast to the 49 that were assessed in 1992, and even some of the 20 might be considered borderline in any consideration of nucleation, assessed here as much to display the difficulties in establishing origins and growth as well as the vagaries of toponymy. There is one town and three larger villages that aspire to some of the attributes of a town. Wrexham is in a league of its own, a settlement that once it started to grow seems to have continued without pause, regardless of rebellion and conflagration. But Wrexham s commercial and industrial success has resulted in the sacrifice of its heritage. Its magnificent church apart it has little to show of its earlier history, and the scale of the archaeological examination of its historic core is not in keeping with its size and importance. Holt, Chirk and Overton are smaller, and the first two are historically more interesting. But all four share the rectangular layout of the medieval planned town. Holt and perhaps Overton are the most

58 58 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 revealing because of their purity of form, Wrexham arguably the more interesting because it has yet to be fully understood. Chirk is the slightest, yet is not in doubt. Wrexham appears to be a Welsh foundation, Holt is an English establishment contemporary with the creation of its major castle, and Overton too is English. The precise origins of Chirk s new layout are obscure. Put this the other way round and it is evident that all of the larger historic settlements in Wrexham display a high degree of planning and layout at their cores. And this is a characteristic which spreads throughout many of the towns of east Wales. Wrexham boasts a number of places where it seems plausible to suggest that dwellings began to group around a focus, usually a church, in the medieval era, thereby creating a nucleated settlement or village. Plausibility, however, is not the same as confirmation, and in virtually no instance can a medieval nucleated settlement be justified on present evidence. In the absence of standing buildings (other than a church) that date from prior to the reformation, archaeological research would appear to be the only solution but as yet developer-funded projects have yet to make an impact. Hanmer and perhaps Gresford seem likely, Bangor, Ruabon and Worthenbury are all possibles, while Marford remains an anomaly, if only because it is difficult to pinpoint when the pattern of housing that is visible today came into existence. Church settlements are rare in Wrexham. Glyn Ceiriog, previously Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog, and Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog are the most likely and it is perhaps not surprising that both of them are to be found in the Ceiriog valley well out to the west in that part of Wrexham tacked on from Denbighshire at the time of its creation in Erbistock could fall under this heading, and perhaps too Marchwiel, though given its proximity to Wrexham it might be wondered whether there is more to the latter than is currently apparent. which develops from dispersed housing to become a more focused community, in some cases in very recent times. Bob Silvester MEDIEVAL CROSSES AND CROSSHEADS PUBLICATIONS Project 1794 Funding: Cadw Medieval crosses were one of the components of the recently completed scheduling enhancement programme for ecclesiastical and monastic sites in Wales. The present publication pulls together the information from the four trust regions in order to examine the broader picture of cross erection and loss across the country. It draws on material in the threevolume corpus of early medieval inscribed stones to compare the distribution pattern of pre-conquest stone crosses with that of surviving post-conquest churchyard crosses, assesses the few remaining town and market crosses in relation to the assumed presence of a cross in every town in Wales in the late medieval era, and examines the rare survival of wayside and boundary crosses in a world where these would have abounded before the Reformation. Overall the synthesis should reinforce the view that the cross was one of the most common features of the Welsh landscape in the Middle Ages, but it now represents a scarce resource with every surviving example needing to be conserved. Bob Silvester Then there is a group of settlements that have emerged not because there is an apparent medieval focus, but more that there has been a gradual concentration of houses which creates to a greater or lesser degree a simulacrum of a nucleated settlement. Bettisfield, Bronington, Isycoed, Redbrook, Whitwell and possibly Penley all display the pattern of growth Trelawnyd cross in Flintshire.

59 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 59 Churchyard crosses surviving in Wales (triangles) shown against the distribution of all medieval church sites in the country (crosses) EARLY MEDIEVAL CEMETERIES PUBLICATION Project: 1654 Funding: Cadw A draft report has been prepared for publication on the recent regionally based study of early medieval cemeteries as part of the Cadw-funded scheduling enhancement programme, of which the excavations at Meusydd and Druid formed an element. Relatively few early medieval cemeteries have been recognised in mid and north-east Wales in comparison to the west and north-west of the principality, although there are clearly cultural affinities with sites in those areas. The use of stone cists, as at Beddau, has a long tradition extending back into prehistory and continuing into the Roman period. In early Christian Wales more commonly cist burials are found in the north-west and south-west, particularly on Anglesey and in Pembrokeshire. Similarly, square ditched mortuary enclosures, or square barrows, of which several examples are known within the study area, are also known in west and north-west Wales. Burials of this period are often viewed in association with the development of the early church in Wales, although in cases such as Meusydd the evidence suggests that the cemetery existed in isolation and the assumption is that the focus for burial eventually moved to St Dogmael s Church in Llanrhaeadr-ym- Mochnant, around 1.2km away. The radiocarbon dates for Druid are considered to be from charcoal which was residual in the fills of Trial excavations at Druid. Photography

60 60 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 the grave and surrounding ditch, and taken together provide a terminus ante quem for the cemetery of AD Although there are rare examples of Roman square ditched enclosures with associated inhumations in southern Britain, these are from the later Roman period. The presence of both enclosed and unenclosed burials at Druid is paralleled at the larger cemetery at Tandderwen, to the east of Denbigh, which was excavated by CPAT in This contained nine square barrows and 28 unenclosed graves, the only dating for which is from the remains of wooden coffins dated to AD and AD Recent excavations at Llanbeblig, Caernarfon, have also identified a cemetery containing both unenclosed graves as well as four square mortuary enclosures, one containing three inhumations, which have been recently dated to between cal AD The recent investigations at Meusydd and Druid have added further to our knowledge of what has long been seen as an enigmatic period in our history. However, in common with many other excavated cemeteries which are presumed to belong to the earlier medieval period the total lack of any artefactual evidence, and the residual charred material within the grave fills and barrow ditch, have frustrated attempts to confirm their date. Whilst the form of both cemeteries suggests that they are likely to belong to the centuries immediately following the Roman withdrawal in AD 410, they remain essentially undated. Nigel Jones Distribution of early medieval burial sites mentioned in the text of the report.

61 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 61 GLAS-HIRFRYN EMERGENCY BUILDING RECORDING AND EXCAVATION Project 1840 Contingency funding was granted for the emergency excavation and building recording work carried out in July and September advance of the demolition and reconstruction of this probable early 16th-century timber Listed Building in a remote location in northern Powys. This important building in the township of Lloran Uchaf, Llansilin, is potentially one of the earliest storied and jettied buildings, and successor to the local tradition of cruck-built hallhouses of the later 15th century. Like other similar projects undertaken by the Trust in the region (Ty-mawr, Tyddyn Llwydion, Ty-draw) the project has the importance of combining building recording and excavation in order to gain a reliable interpretation of a building s history and development, rather than seeing these as different disciplines. Photographic recording was undertaken during the course of demolition in July Following demolition recording was undertaken on a number of key timbers illustrating decorative detail, jointing and wall-framing. Selective excavation was subsequently undertaken on the footprint of the surviving building in September 2012 with the objective of gaining information the layout of the original building, the position of windows, doors, chimney and stairs, flooring, and associated cultural material. In addition to information about later changes, the project has been successful in providing a considerable amount of previously unrecorded detail about the history of the building. Important new information has so far been obtained including the following: the nature of the early platform make-up and the original clay floors throughout the house; the position of the original entrance; the fact that the house originally had 4 bays rather than the surviving 3 bays, with a probable screens passage between the lower two bays; the original form of one of the upper storey windows and the position of at least one of the ground-floor windows; details of the complex jointing used in the construction of the jetties; previously unrecorded vine-leaf decoration on external wallposts; details of previously unrecorded second storey jetty coving; the original position of the chimney on the site of the house and how this was integrated into the timbered structure; surviving tiles from the original graded stone tile roof. Demolition of the collapsed remains of the storied 16th-century timber-framed building at Glas-hirfryn. Previously unrecorded pilaster with cable decoration on one of the wall-posts. Photographs: , ,

62 62 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Preliminary historical research has some details of both the early and later history of the house. The name of a later 16th century owner has been identified which it is anticipated will provide a key eventually to identifying the original builder of the house. An abundant source of later social history has also been found which reveals that during the 19th century the house was in the tenancy of a prominent Nonconformist family. Further recording work on timbers from the building was undertaken in January and February once the timbers had been removed from site and taken to the workshop of Manor Joinery at Pontesbury for repair. Dendrochonological sampling was carried out by Dan Miles of the Oxford Dendro Lab in March 2013 and a provisional felling date of Autumn 1557 to Spring 1558 has been obtained for one of the original timbers. A presentation about archaeological excavation and recording was given on 20 March 2013 at a Timber Repair day organised by Jill Fairweather of Cadw for staff of Cadw, Powys County Council Conservation Officers and students of Swyddog Cynllun Bwrswriaeth Treftadaeth/Foundations in Heritage Bursary students. Bill Britnell Previously unrecorded pilaster with cable decoration on one of the wall-posts. Excavatons in progress on later floors in September Sole plate resting on sill wall, showing the height of the origianal external elveation. Rescued stone roofing tiles from later contexts, probably belonging to the original structure. Denro-sampling in progress by Dan Milesand cores. Photographs: CPAT , 0623, 791, 848.

63 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 63 FOUR CROSSES BUSINESS PARK Project 1800 Funding: Developer An archaeological evaluation was conducted in connection with proposals to construct a new business unit on the Four Crosses Business Park (SJ ). The only archaeological site recorded within the development area was a possible ditched boundary, aligned north-west to south-east, which was identified from cropmark evidence (PRN 7068). However, the development also lay within 40m of a large prehistoric burial monument, and another possible linear boundary ditch. The evaluation identified a single, undated gully and demonstrated that the linear feature was perhaps a natural frost wedge. Ian Grant LLANFERRES TO ERYRYS PIPELINE Project 1807 Funding: Welsh Water An assessment was conducted to investigate the potential direct impacts on cultural heritage features of a proposed water pipeline between Llanferres and Eryrys in Denbighshire The proposed pipeline extends for 3.6km from Eryrys to a pumping station close to Llanferres, with an additional 1.2km-long section replacing an existing water main. The pipeline route runs through an area containing evidence for medieval field systems and house platforms, as well as post-medieval lead mining, although none of the sites which were identified appeared to be under any direct threat from the scheme. Nigel Jones FIVE WAYS WWTW Project 1801 Funding: Caulmert/Welsh Water A cultural heritage assessment was conducted to investigate the route of a proposed link road to connect the waste water treatment works at Five Fords (SJ ), to the east of Wrexham, with the southern section of the new access road for the Wrexham Industrial Estate (SJ ). The assessment revealed no assets of any significance within the area. Nigel Jones PEN Y GWELY WIND FARM Project 1803 Funding: Developer On-going wind-farm development proposal in the Llangollen region of Denbighshire. GARREG WEN WIND FARM Project 1804 Funding: Developer On-going wind-farm development proposal in the Caerwys region of Flintshire. BRAINT WIND FARM Project 1805 Funding: Developer On-going wind-farm development proposal on Anglesey. SOLOMAN HOUSE LLANFYLLIN Project 1808 Funding: Developer A watching brief was carried out during the construction of a new dwelling adjacent to Soloman House in Llanfyllin. Evidence of the medieval town had been revealed during an evaluation on the site in 2008, and the building design was subsequently altered to ensure that the recorded features were preserved. The watching brief confirmed that the redesign had successfully prevented disturbance to the archaeological layers and features recorded in the evaluation. Richard Hankinson BORRAS QUARRY 2011 POST-EXCAVATION Project 1809 Funding: Tarmac Continuing post-excavation, specialist reporting and radiocarbon dating relating to the discoveries made during soil stripping operations in This forms part of a rolling programme of work at Borras whereby the results from each phase of archaeological work are integrated with the results from previous years which will ultimately lead to publication once the quarry expansion is at an end. Nigel Jones BAILEY HILL WIND FARM Project 1806 Funding: Developer On-going wind-farm development proposal in the Knighton region of Powys. BORRAS QUARRY 2012 Project 1810 Funding: Tarmac The discovery of a number of prehistoric features during soil-stripping operations associated with the expansion of Borras Quarry into the Holt Estate

64 64 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 has led to three seasons of detailed archaeological excavation, revealing important evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age activity. Further discoveries were made during soil-stripping in 2012, although on a much smaller scale than those in previous years. The principal interest during the recent watching brief was a group of small pits which contained evidence for metalworking, possibly smithing, which radiocarbon dating has shown is of Early Medival date, in the 7th- 9th centuries AD. Ian Grant MORTON LEY FARM, LLYNCLYS Project 1811 Funding: Developer A watching brief during soil stripping for the construction of new chicken units near Llynclys, in Shropshire, led to the discovery of a previously section of what appeared to be a previously unknown Roman road. Although badly damaged by centuries of ploughing at least 80m of the road was recorded within the stripped area, following a north-northwest to south-south-east alignment, but turning slightly to the south as it approached the river Morda, where it followed a river terrace. The road had been constructed using river gravel and cobbles, laid directly onto the natural subsoil, although ploughing had removed all traces of the road surface. The metalling was flanked by shallow ditches around 8m apart. Although undated the form and dimensions of the road suggest that it is likely to be Roman. If so then this forms part of a previously unrecorded route which is not obviously associated with any other confirmed sections of Roman road, lying 25km northnorth-east of Forden Gaer and 45km south-south-west of Chester. Ian Grant MOLD FLOOD ALLEVIATION SCHEME Project 1818 Funding: Gwynedd Consultancy/Flintshire County Council An assessment was conducted to determine the potential direct impacts on cultural heritage assets and features in the environs of a proposed flood alleviation around Mold in Flintshire. The scheme seeks to intercept excess flood waters from watercourses west of Mold and divert them via a culvert and ditch system to the river Alyn at Rhyd y Goleu. Nigel Jones FORYD HARBOUR Project 1819 Funding: Denbighshire County Council A watching brief was conducted during the initial stages of work associated with the redevelopment of Foryd Harbour, at the mouth of the River Clwyd. A previous archaeological assessment, which included geophysical survey, had identified a number of features which were thought to be of archaeological potential, although these later proved to be the result of modern debris in an area formerly dredged for sand and gravel. Richard Hankinson NEW HOUSE LONG BARROW Project 1820 Funding: Bradford University CPAT were engaged to assist with a detailed topographical survey of a possible long barrow to the west of Corndon in eastern Powys, prior to a smallscale excavation. The excavation determined that the elongated mound, with is scheduled (Mg 285), is a natural rock outcrop which has been subject to smallscale quarrying. Nigel Jones ARCLID EASTERN EXTENSION WSI Project 1817 Funding: Developer Following on from previous work at Arclid Quarry, in Cheshire, CPAT were invited to prepare a Written Scheme of Investigation for conducting a watching brief during soil stripping within the area of the eastern quarry extension, the timing of which has yet to be determined. Nigel Jones WESTON LANE/MAESBURY ROAD, OSWESTRY Project 1821 Funding: Developer A programme of geophysical survey and trial excavation was conducted in connection with the development of a greefield site on the southern outskirts of Oswestry in Shropshire. The eastern boundary of the plot follows the line of Wat s Dyke, although no upstanding remains survive. The western side of the ditch associated with the dyke was identified in one trench, revealing a metalled surface beneath a thick deposit of deliberately infilled

65 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 65 material, suggesting that the ditch may at one time have been adopted by the road from Oswestry to Maesbury. The only other feature of any significance was an undated V-shaped ditch, perhaps a former field boundary, which followed the same alignment as the dyke. Nigel Jones scheduled ancient monuments. The survey formed part of the Heather and Hillforts Project, which was grant aided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Denbighshire County Council and Cadwyn Clwyd. The resulting report (Jones and Owen 2004) identified a number of erosion issues affecting each of the hillforts and made recommendations regarding their future management. CLWYDIAN HILLFORTS CONDITION SURVEY Project 1826 Funding: Denbighshire County Council In 2004 the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) conducted a survey to record the condition of six hillforts in the Clwydian Hills and Llantysilio Mountain, namely Caer Drewyn, Moel Fenlli, Moel Arthur, Moel y Gaer Llanbedr, Moel y Gaer Llantysilio and Penycloddiau, all of which are In August and September 2012 CPAT re-surveyed all six hillforts, on behalf of Denbighshire Countryside Service, to determine the effectiveness of the management regimes that had been designed to address the issues identified eight years previously. This report presents the results from the recent survey and again includes recommendations for the future management of the hillforts.

66 66 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 The condition of each of the hillforts, and the range of management issues affecting them, has shown considerable variation within what is a very small study sample. Even for the largest hillforts, Penycloddiau and Moel Fenlli, relatively few issues of major significance were identified in 2004, and these largely related to visitor pressure on particularly vulnerable areas and generally isolated sheep erosion around the ramparts, most of which have been successfully managed. Ironically, it was the smallest hillfort, Moel y Gaer, Llantysilio, which was previously subject to the most serious erosion as a result of off-roading by vehicles and motorbikes. Collaboration between Denbighshire County Council and the police has had a significant impact and together with repair works and a number of public events this has led to a situation where this is currently no longer a major issue.

67 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 67 The majority of issues affecting the hillforts are associated with visitors and erosion by sheep and a range of measures have been shown to be successful in their management. Erosion along footpaths is generally likely to be worst on the steeper sections, primarily the hillfort ramparts, and particular problems were identified in 2004 at Penycloddiau and Moel Fenlli. Both of these have been largely resolved through the installation of timber and pitch-stone steps which has hopefully provided a long-term solution. Addressing grazing levels has had a positive effect at Caer Drewyn, and at Moel Arthur sheep no longer graze the hillfort in the same numbers, although here this is due to access to better grazing at lower levels. Sheep scrapes have been an issue on all of the hillforts and on Penycloddiau the use of brash infill has been particularly effective. These methods are not always successful, however, and can lead to increased pressure on adjacent areas, and the effectiveness of the brash will deteriorate with time. The spread of bracken was previously raised as an issue at Moel y Gaer Llanbedr and Caer Drewyn and attempts have been made to reduce its spread, although on the latter site further work is still required. Nigel Jones 52-4 VALE ST DENBIGH Project 1822 Funding: Developer An archaeological evaluation was conducted in advance of the redevelopment of Vale Street, within the medieval town of Denbigh (SJ ). One trench was located to the rear of the property which demonstrated a limited degree of 15th-century activity within the immediate vicinity of the site, although without identifying any obvious structures. The upper deposits confirm documentary sources which indicate that this area was an open space or gardens at the time of Speed s map of 1611, and remained so into the 19th century. Along the street frontage a second trench revealed a significant build up of material during the 17th and 18th centuries, burying the earlier street level. Ian Grant YSTALYFERA WINDFARM Project 1825 Funding: Developer On-going wind-farm development proposal on the Brecknock/Glamorgan border. OSWESTRY SUBSTATION Project 1828 Funding: Iberdrola An assessment was conducted in connection with proposals to relocate an existing electricity substation on the eastern side of Oswestry in Shropshire. The site is adjacent to the Oswestry bypass and its southern boundary is formed by the former railway line between Oswestry and Whittington. Although the surrounding area contains cropmarks for a number of potential enclosures there is no evidence for any cultural heritage assets within the development plot. Nigel Jones HOLYWELL SUBSTATION Project 1829 Funding: Iberdrola A desk-based assessment was undertaken in connection with proposals for minor changes to an existing electricity substation at Gorsedd, near Holywell. The adjacent field may once have contained a round barrow, suggested by the discover of human remains, although there is no evidence to suggest that this extended within the development area. Nigel Jones CAEHERBERT LANE RHAYADER Project 1831 Funding: Developer A watching brief was conducted in February 2013 during the initial groundworks associated with the construction of a new dwelling, although no features or deposits of archaeological significance were encountered. Ian Grant LLANFERRES TO ERYRYS PIPELINE Project 1832 Funding: Costains A watching brief was conducted during soil-stripping operations along the line of a new 3.6km-long water pipeline between Llanferres and Eryrys in Denbighshire. Where the pipeline crossed farmland the method of construction involved the stripping of topsoil within a 20m-wide corridor, followed by the excavation of the pipe trench as an open cut. Along existing trackways the pipe trench was excavated using a wheel or toothed trenching machine and this was not subject to the watching brief. Three sites were identified which warranted such further investigation, of which two were associated probably with Blaen y

68 68 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Nant lead mine, one possibly equating to a previously recorded horse whim and the other forming part of a metalled track, or perhaps a hard-standing.elsewhere along the scheme a ditch was identified close to a possible medieval house platform. The ditch was parallel to an existing field boundary 40m to the north and may represent a boundary that had been removed during the amalgamation of fields at some point in the past. Plough-scarring was also noted which predated the ditch, but respected the same alignment, perhaps being associated with cultivation relating to the nearby house site. Ian Grant THE MERMAID, WELSHPOOL Project 1833 Funding: Developer A survey of was conducted to record the Mermaid, 28 High Street, Welshpool in association with an application for change of use from a public house to residential accommodation. The Mermaid is a grade II listed building of probable late 16th-century origin, although with later modifications and additions and consisted originally of a timber-framed town house fronting High Street. A timber-framed rear range was added in two phases, the box-framing being typical of the type of town dwelling being built in Montgomeryshire during this period. Perhaps during the late 18th century or early 19th century the rear range was extended in brick, forming a number of units, some of which may have been separate dwellings. It is not known when the Mermaid became a public house, although the change of use would certainly have had an impact on the building, with demand for accommodation and stabling changing the internal divisions. Mermaid Passage was inserted through the original house in order to provide external access to the rear range. It is probable that part of the rear range included stables and the passage would therefore have been required to allow access. It is interesting that survey has demonstrated that Mermaid Passage is not an original feature since this perhaps also raises questions regarding the origin of other passages in the town. Nigel Jones and Ian Grant ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH, WEST FELTON Project 1834 Funding: West Felton PCC A watching brief was undertaken during the excavation of a service trench within the churchyard of St Michael s Church, West Felton, Shropshire, and also some limited works within the tower. The earliest surviving fabric of the churchof which is in the early 12th-century north arcade of the nave where there are four round-headed arches. The restored four-centred chancel arch is probably 14th-century, and the archbraced collar beam roof is of likely 15th-century date, as is the octagonal font. The present form of the church owes much to major refurbishments during the late 18th and 19th centuries, with the rebuilding of the tower in 1784, the re-designed of the chancel by George Gilbert Scott in 1848, and the rebuilding of the south aisle, vestry, porch and south wall of the chancel in 1878/9. The watching brief provided significant evidence for

69 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 69 earlier phases of St Michael s Church, predating the present south aisle and tower, as well as identifying a number of undisturbed burials. The service trench adjacent to the south wall of the church revealed elements of an earlier structure, consisting of three buttresses which, from their position 1.4m away from the present wall, must be associated with an earlier phase of the church before the south aisle was rebuilt slightly to the north of its original position. It is now clear that at least part of the church was floored with decorative ceramic tiles during the medieval period. A significant number of fragmentary tiles were recovered from the relatively small excavation within the tower, which demonstrated that the tiles had been redeposited amongst rubble, presumably when the tower was rebuilt. The watching brief also identified the foundations for earlier walls adjacent to the tower which presumably relate to a pre-1784 tower. Ian Grant SPEN MID-WALES CONNECTIONS Project 1835 Funding: Scottish Power On-going assessments of power-line corridors designed to link proposed wind-farms in central Powys into the national grid. WELSHPOOL MOTTE Project 1836 Funding: Powys County Council An evaluation was conducted on land adjacent to Domen Gastell motte in Welshpool, in connection with proposals to improve public access. The results from both trenches demonstrated the survival of archaeological deposits at depths in excess of 1.2m. It is likely that some of the deposits represent later infilling in the top of the ditch which would have surrounded Domen Gastell motte and bailey, while a linear feature appears to correspond with the position of a bypass leat associated with Domen Mill, which is depicted on a plan of the town in Evidence from both trenches indicates that the area was subject to deliberate levelling, perhaps by the beginning of the 20th century. The uniform nature of the levelling material, which was devoid of dateable finds, suggests that this was either imported onto the site, or could possibly have been derived from the medieval earthworks of the motte and bailey, perhaps at the time of the construction of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. Ian Grant ELLESMERE PORT SUBSTATION Project 1838 Funding: Iberdrola A cultural heritage assessment was conducted to identify the potential impacts of a new electricity substation on land adjacent to an existing substation at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. Ian Grant KIRBY SUBSTATION Project 1839 Funding: Iberdrola A cultural heritage assessment was conducted in connection with planned changes to an existing electricity substation at Kirkby, Knowsley, Cheshire. The assessment did not identify any cultural heritage assets within the Development Area, although the immediate area was occupied by two cottages during the early 19th century. Ian Grant CHESHIRE HA-EK LINE REFURBISHMENT Project 1841 Funding: Iberdrola A desk-based study was conducted to assess the potential direct impacts on cultural heritage assets along the route of an existing 132kv overhead powerline for which a scheme of refurbishment was proposed. The overhead line known as the HA-EK line runs from Carrington in Greater Manchester, to Crewe in Cheshire. The study indicated that there is the potential for direct impacts on a small number of cultural heritage assets, none of which are designated. Nigel Jones and Ian Grant BRYN GWIAN WIND TURBINE Project 1842 Funding: North Wales Hydro Power Assessment of a proposed wind turbine site in western Conwy. BOLD SUBSTATION, ST HELENS Project 1843 Funding: Iberdrola A cultural heritage assessment was conducted in connection with planned changes to an existing electricity substation at Bold, St Helens. The study determined that only two cultural heritage assets are known within the development area, the site of a 20th-

70 70 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 century power station and railway sidings, and the site of a 19th-century rifle range, neither of which survive. Ian Grant CARNO ROAD, CAERSWS Project 1844 Funding: SP Power Systems A watching brief was conducted during excavations for an underground electricity cable on ground to the north-east of the A470 trunk road on the northwestern outskirts of Caersws. One of the fields through which the trench passed had been the site of an earlier excavation by Cambrian Archaeological Projects which revealed a former road, thought to be the Roman road heading along the valley of the Afon Carno. A number of pits were also identified in the excavation, some of which were considered to have been used to provide material employed in the construction of the Roman road. Other, smaller, pits contained material which was dated to the Neolithic period and may have represented temporary occupation. The watching brief did not reveal any additional evidence of the Roman road, primarily as its alignment had been cut by a modern water pipe where the cable trench was routed. No archaeological features were revealed in the remainder of the cable trench. Richard Hankinson YSTRADGYNLAIS FLOOD DEFENCES Project 1846 Funding: Environment Agency A watching brief was conducted during excavations associated with the installation of new flood defences in Water Street, Ystradgynlais. The route of the remainder of the new flood defences alongside the river Tawe had been examined in 2011 during the excavation of test pits on behalf of the Environment Agency to determine the local ground conditions, at which point no significant archaeological features had been found. Some evidence of buildings on the river frontage of Water Street had been suggested, however, and this was corroborated by evidence from the late 19th-century Ordnance Survey mapping which showed a row of dwellings. Two sections of wall were revealed in the watching brief, representing divisions between dwellings recorded by the Ordnance Survey, but it was clear that these were no earlier in date than the 19th century and examination of relevant cartographic sources suggested they had been constructed between 1831 and 1838; the row of buildings there were probably demolished in the 1920s owing to their vulnerability to flooding. Richard Hankinson AD LINE REVISION Project 1847 Funding: Iberdrola A further stage of assessment was conducted in connection with the refurbishment of an existing overhead powerline between Dolgarrog and Pentir, near Bangor, in Gwynedd. The route crosses the northern end of the Carneddau range in Snowdonia, an area containing a wealth of archaeological sites including prehistoric barrows, hut circles and field systems, a Roman road and a number of medieval hut huts and fields. Nigel Jones TAI-MOELION SOLAR FARM Project 1848 Funding: Developer Assessment of a proposed solar farm on Anglesey. TY MAWR, LLANSILIN Project 1849 Funding: Developer A watching brief was carried out during the groundworks for an extension at Ty Mawr, a grade II listed building. No evidence was found for any significant buried archaeological remains relating to the present building, or any prior activity. Richard Hankinson CASTELL UCHAF, MEIFOD Project 1850 Funding: Developer A watching brief was conducted during the excavation of foundations for a new stables adjacent to the motte and bailey at Mathrafal, near Meifod (SJ ). The observations identified part of a holloway, representing the former alignment of the road between Meifod and Llanfair Caereinion, which was replaced by the present turnpike road. Ian Grant PREMIER INN, WREXHAM Project 1851 Funding: Developer A programme of archaeological mitigation works were conducted in connection with the construction of a new Premier Inn on land off Mold Road, Wrexham. The site includes a scheduled section of Wat s Dyke which was the subject of an archaeological evaluation

71 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 71 by CPAT in This indicated that part of the bank for Wat s Dyke survived within the area, although the accompanying ditch had been removed by quarrying. The present work consisted of the controlled stripping of overburden across the area of the Dyke to allow the protection of surviving deposits beneath a membrane prior to the reconstruction of the dyke s profile. A general watching brief was also maintained during groundworks elsewhere on the site Ian Grant MOEL Y GAER, LLANDYSILIO Project 1852 Funding: Denbighshire County Council Following the trial excavation of two roundhouses within the hillfort with the help of local volunteers in 2010 funding since been secured to complete the postexcavation work, which included three radiocarbon dates from deposits contemporary with, and immediately post-dating the roundhouses, indicating a broad period of activity between 388 and 51 cal. BC. The final report will be submitted for publication in Archaeology in Wales. Ian Grant lowest step is carried around the mausoleum sides to form a plinth. The low pyramidal slate roof is partially hidden behind the parapet, the latter also masking a lead-lined drainage gully. Although a structure separate from the church, the mausoleum is connected to it via a short passage leading to a doorway in the north wall of the church. This has a chamfered, four-centred arch in the north wall of the church bearing the inscription S.R I.O. CONWAY. KNGT 1637, referring to Sir John Conway of Bodrhyddan, who died in Internally the mausoleum measures 3.75m across on both axes and is composed of four brick-vaulted compartments, the apices of which are around 2.8m above the floor. The floor of the mausoleum, which is laid with stone slabs, is at approximately the same level as the external ground surface, but about 0.73m higher than the floor of the church. The roof is supported on a central column of dressed stone BODRHYDDAN MAUSOLEUM, RHUDDLAN Project 1854 Funding: Church in Wales A detailed measured and photographic survey was undertaken to record the Bodrhyddan Mausoleum at St Mary s Church, Rhuddlan in December The condition of the mausoleum has deteriorated in recent years and concerns have been expressed about potential issues of safety. The survey was conducted in order both to provide a detailed record of the structure as a cultural heritage asset and to assist in the assessment of management options. The mausoleum is a substantial square structure, measuring approximately 4.8m across externally and rising to a height of about 5m at the apex of the roof. The exterior is clad in dressed ashlar blocks throughout, masking all signs of the brick walls within. The three visible sides are uniform in appearance and in keeping with most mausolea have no apertures. The walls are topped by a moulded parapet, some but not all of the mouldings being carried around to the short entrance walls on the south side. Moulded, stepped angle buttresses are set at each corner with central buttresses on three sides, and the External view of the Bodrhyddan mausoleum and memorials inside. Photograph:

72 72 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 and there are also dressed stone capitals for the three supporting responds which are chamfered, while the remaining five are all of plain, brick construction. The overall appearance is one of relatively high quality workmanship and the interior as with the exterior of the mausoleum was undoubtedly designed to impress. The two western compartments were constructed to accommodate coffins in three tiers, set either on the floor or on one of two iron shelves. Only the southwestern compartment was ever used for interments and this contains coffins, the earliest of which date from 1788 and 1789 and were placed on the floor of the mausoleum with the following two on an iron shelf above, all four being sealed by carved stone memorials. Only one of the coffins is visible behind its stone, that of Penelope Stapleton, who died in 1788; this is made of lead with relief decoration, probably encasing a wooden coffin. The later interments were in three wooden coffins, each clad in velvet, which were placed on the upper shelf. The mausoleum was probably built in the late 18th century, slightly earlier than had been previously assumed, and was used as the place of interment for members of the Conwy and Shipley families of Bodrhyddan for a period of less than a century. It was most probably constructed by William Davies Shipley, the Dean of St Asaph, following the death of his wife in 1789 at the age of only 32. Nigel Jones Funding: Iberdrola Proposed ground investigations around the base of a number of towers supporting an overhead powerline between Dolgarrog and Pentir, near Bangor, in Gwynedd, led a further stage of assessment and recommendations for mitigation. Nigel Jones LORD S GARDEN, NANTCLWYD Y DRE, RUTHIN Project 1866 Funding: Denbighshire Heritage Service An archaeological evaluation was conducted as part of the Lord s Garden Ruthin project, which is grantaided by the Heritage Lottery in February The garden is associated with Nantclwyd y Dre, although was originally a kitchen gardenn belonging to nearby Ruthin Castle. The excavation was undertaken with the assistance of local volunteers and investigated two areas, an elongated mound in the south-west corner of the garden and an anomaly which was originally detected through geophysical survey. A Dig Diary was kept on the dig while it was on between February, to keep in touch with volunteers (see diary13.htm). The excavations have revealed limited evidence for the layout of a formal garden dating to the mid 19th century, adding to information from earlier excavation survey work conducted in Several UPPER LLANDEWI FARM Project 1862 Funding: Developer Upper Llandewi Farm is a listed building in Llandewi Fach, Powys. During restoration work a request was made by the Conservation Officer to record and analyse the fireplace in the main living room, prior to the removal of several phases of blocking and infill. The resulting survey identified at least five phases of construction dating from the 17th century through to the mid-20th century. Ian Grant TIRGWYNT CONSTRUCTION WORKS Project 1864 Funding: Developer On-going work in advance of the construction of the Tirgwynt wind-farm near Cefn Coch in central Powys. AD LINE REVISION II Project 1865 Work in progress with volunteers at Lord s Garden. Photograph:

73 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 73 within the regional Historic Environment Record indicated that the development plot straddles the former alignment of Wat s Dyke. The results demonstrated the survival of deposits relating to the ditch of Wat s Dyke, although there was no evidence for any upstanding bank material which had been levelled some decades previously and redeposited in the top of the ditch. Ian Grant CPAT and Denbighshire Heritage Services set up activities for pupils from local schools, Ysgol Pen Barras and Ysgol Borthyn, to take part in, as well as a tour of the gardens and excavation. OSWESTRY SUBSTATION Project 1870 Funding: Iberdrola A watching brief during the relocation of a substation at Whittington Road, Oswestry, Shropshire, has been postponed until April sherds of medieval pottery were recovered, perhaps relating to the association with the castle. Although it had been suggested that the mound might be a Civil War artillery position the excavations demonstrated that it was more likely to be an 18th-century raised viewing area which included a stone plinth for a seat or statue. The present form of the mound is thought to be the result of the deposition of material from the construction of a swimming pool to the rear of Nantclwyd y Dre in the earlier part of the 20th century. Ian Grant and Sophie Watson PENTRE MILL, DYSERTH, REVISION Project 1867 Funding: Developer Following a revision of the original design a further stage of assessment was conducted to determine the potential impacts of the proposed hydro scheme. The revised proposal involves the positioning of a vertical turbine above the wheelpit, together with reconsolidation of the original mill pond revetment, sluice and headrace. Nigel Jones LILAC COTTAGE SYCHDYN Project 1868 Funding: Developer An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in connection with proposals for the erection of a detached dwelling and detached double garage with garden and landscaping at Lilac Cottage, Sychdyn, in Flintshire (SJ ). Information retained LLANGOLLEN PRINTWORKS Project 1871 Funding: Developer A Level 2 building survey was conducted to record a group of farm buildings prior to their demolition and the redevelopment of the site as a printworks. to associated with the construction of a new print works. The development area is located just north of Llangollen, on the west side of the A5, Berwyn Road, opposite Mile End Mill. The farm complex originally consisted of a farmhouse and barn, which are depicted on the Tithe Survey of 1840 and the Ordnance Survey 1st edition of The date of the buildings is uncertain, although they do no appear on the Ordnance Survey Surveyor s Drawing, published in The original farmhouse had been demolished by 1900 and its position in part adopted by a new range of buildings sometime after A further stage of archaeological work will include a watching brief once the development commences. Nigel Jones CLAWDD OFFA, PENYFFORDD Project 1727 Funding: Developer A watching brief was conducted during the excavation of stanchion pits for a new barn on the line of Wat s Dyke (the name of the farm being a misnomer). The observations demonstrated that the area had been heavily disturbed by the construction of a previous agricultural building and no surviving trace of the dyke was apparent. Sophie Watson

74 74 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Education and Outreach The following notes provide a summary of some of the education and outreach work undertaken by Trust during the course of the 2011/12 financial year with the help of funding from Cadw and from the Trust s own resources as part of our Heritage Management Outreach programme. April - July 2012, Welshpool, Powys Georgia Barton of Welshpool volunteered on a halfday per week basis at CPAT between April and July She worked on finds washing and also assisted with work for the HER by helping to process SAM paperwork. Cadw Public Engagement and Outreach Working Group Two meetings of this group were attended during the year. In October 2012 a small group comprising mainly senior staff from the Welsh Archaeological Trusts, Cadw and RCAHMW met at the offices of RCAHMW in Aberystwyth to accept the Terms of Reference for the group, to discuss a joint public engagement strategy and agree the structure of future meetings. In December 2012 a larger meeting was held involving all staff from the above organisations engaged in outreach activity in order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of events run during 2011/12 and to discuss what had been learned from them. In February 2013 a teleconference was held to share ideas for outreach activities ahead of the new financial year. April - September 2012, Welshpool, Powys Jo Munro-Hunt from near Llandrindod Wells volunteered on a day per month basis at CPAT and worked to accession information from journals donated to the Trust by Chester Archaeological Society into the regional Historic Environment Record. 4 April 2012, Welshpool, Powys Attendance at a half-day geology event organized by Powysland Museum in case of any archaeological artifacts being reported. Six attendees. 18 April 2012, Newtown, Powys An illustrated talk about CPAT and a finds handling session with about 10 clients of Hafan Day Hospice, Newtown. Feedback form received. Outreach events organised by the Trust CPAT undertook 38 outreach initiatives related to Cadw-funded work during 2012/13. These comprised work experience placements, illustrated talks and lectures, guided walks, volunteer hosting, website reports, provision of information from the HER to members of the public, responses to enquiries and requests for information from the press and media and the publication of a bi-annual newsletter distributed to societies, groups and individuals, local authorities and local and national politicians in the Clwyd- Powys region. The following summary provides details of events undertaken within the general framework of Heritage Management Services, or as part of individual projects, or in some instances as a follow up to Cadw-funded projects in previous years. Reports on these activities and downloadable copies of newsletters can also be found on the trust s website at and It was fascinating viewing slides of archaeology in the local area. Ms Susie Sutcliffe, Creative Therapist April 2012, Pool Quay, Powys CPAT provided exhibition material to contribute to the 150th anniversary celebrations of St John s Church, Pool Quay. 15 May 2012, Welshpool, Powys A guided walk around Welshpool for the local branch of the University of the Third Age (17 attendees), led by CPAT staff. Feedback form received. The group were interested in learning more about local history and the development of the town. The tour guide fulfilled these interests and added more. The entire tour and talk was very interesting and an appropriate length of time. I could not suggest any improvements. Ms Avril Hart, Meetings Secretary.

75 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 75 July 2012 onwards, Welshpool, Powys Since July 2012 Andy Evans of Welshpool has been volunteering on a half-day per week basis at CPAT. So far he has undertaken a range of tasks contributing information to the Historic Environment Record and is currently processing photographic surveys sent to the Development Control section in accordance with planning conditions and then passed to the HER to enhance the record of historic buildings. Welshpool U3A on the steps of St Mary s Church at the start of their guided walk around Welshpool. Photograph June 2012, Caersws, Powys Twenty-one walkers joined CPAT staff and Twristiaeth Caersws Tourism committee members for a guided walk around Cefn Carnedd hillfort above Caersws. The committee were keen to repeat the exercise elsewhere in the future. 4 July 2012, St Asaph, Denbighshire CPAT was invited to contribute to a Careers Wales training day for co-ordinators of the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. Six teachers were present. The potential for archaeology and archaeological skills to contribute to learning at this level was recognised and opportunities for supporting students participating in the WBQ were discussed. We hope to be further involved in the future. Thank you very much for your time on Wednesday morning. I am very grateful that you travelled from Welshpool. Gwenan Ellis, Professional Development Co-Ordinator, Careers Wales. 4 July 2012, Welshpool, Powys Four members of the public were led on a short guided walk to Domen Gastell and the cattle transfer station in Welshpool as CPAT s contribution to the town council s Be A Local Tourist event. Many thanks for doing the walk the other evening, it is very much appreciated. Same time next year? Ian Crowe, Be A Local Tourist week organizer. Top: Walkers look out over Llandinam from the ramparts of Cefn Carnedd. Photograph: Below: On the ramparts near the SW entrance Photograph: Local Tourists at Welshpool s cattle transfer station. Photograph:

76 76 CPAT Annual Review 2012/ July 2012, Middletown and Welshpool, Powys Work experience week 2012 CPAT hosted 6 local students (2 more than last year) on work experience placement for a week at the start of July and had to turn 2 approaches away as we were over-subscribed. One student, from Knighton, was seeking practical experience before starting a course at university, two were in Year 10 at Welshpool High School and one in Year 10 at Ysgol Uwchradd Caereinion High School. Two students had travelled from further afield, attending The Corbet School, Baschurch and Thomas Adams School, Wem. The students approached CPAT to arrange the placements with support (where appropriate) from their schools and Careers Wales/Gyrfa Cymru. The aim was to give the students an idea of the different techniques archaeologists use to investigate historic sites. We were keen to offer the students a real, practical archaeological experience to give them an insight into a career in heritage. Conveniently, in May we had been approached by local landowners about a large boulder found partly buried in a field at Middletown some 4 miles from Welshpool, so we took the opportunity to use it as the focus of a small excavation. Thanks to the support of John Burman of the Meirionydd Geophysical Survey Team the students were also able to try their hands at geophysical survey. To finish things off on the Friday of the placement week the students created a new web page to communicate their experiences and achievements, this can be seen at workex/workex12.htm. The field and geophysical surveys were investigations of sites of interest to CPAT. The fieldwork experience was new to the students and will prove valuable should they decide to apply to universities in the future. Working outside in variable weather conditions helped them realise the importance of being prepared and to learn life-skills such as perseverance and determination. They got to participate in the various stages of the fieldwork project and got to see the results generated, giving them a sense of achievement and satisfaction. A press release sent to local media organisations before the week brought interest from a local newspaper, though unfortunately it didn t print the

77 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 77 story. At the end of the placements a feedback session was held with the students, with the aid of a structured evaluation form. Notes and quotes collated during the feedback session will be used in the planning of Work Experience Fortnight Quotes from the students - I ve learnt loads! The geophysical surveying and planning and levels were all new to me! I m so happy and grateful I got the chance to learn the skills. I only knew a little about archaeology beforehand from watching programmes such as Time Team, so it was really nice to see what it was really all about! I have [enjoyed the placement] and would recommend it to others. I have enjoyed it because I made new friends and have had more of an insight into archaeology, and would thoroughly enjoy it as a job. I have learnt a lot this week, in amongst a lot of laughter, about the many stages in archaeological surveys and digs. I have learnt how to plan and make sure the site is level, and have also learnt how to create a webpage properly. I learnt more practical skills that you can t learn in the classroom. I have loved doing this placement because I ve met some great people and have loved doing the excavation. I will definitely recommend it to my younger sister when it comes to her work experience. Photographs: film 3492

78 78 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 14 July 2012, Elan Valley, Powys. Festival of British Archaeology 2012 The Festival of British Archaeology is the annual extravaganza of heritage events coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and is aimed at families across the UK. CPAT contributed 3 events to the festival this year, advertising them in advance via local newspapers, the CBA festival handbook and both the CPAT and CBA websites. In partnership with the Elan Valley Trust, CPAT ran a Family Archaeology Day at the Elan Valley Visitor Centre near Rhayader. Various hands-on crafts and activities were on offer and a total of 96 children and adults attended over the course of the day. Employing feedback received at last year s event, and with the support of the Elan Valley Trust, we were able to offer a simple excavation experience for children, which proved popular. Outcomes and suggestions were fed back to Cadw s Public Engagement and Outreach Working Group. Activities organised for the Festival of British Archaeology family event at the Elan Valley visitor centre, July Photographs: , , July 2012, Welshpool, Powys About 20 members of Welshpool Inner Wheel heard an after-dinner talk about the work of CPAT. Everyone found [the] talk both interesting and stimulating. Only problem was one of time. We would have happily listened for much longer. Anon. 21 July 2012, Montgomery, Powys. Festival of British Archaeology 2012 As part of the Festival of British Archaeology a guided walk around Montgomery Castle was organised, 16 people joining staff from CPAT. After the walk several of the group took the opportunity to look at the finds from excavations at the castle which are on display at the Old Bell Museum in the town. The popularity of this event has demonstrated that there is an interest locally and a guided walk around nearby Dolforwyn Castle is being considered for the 2013 festival. The archaeologist was very friendly and very good with the children in the group. He also answered all

79 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 79 the questions put to him and listened to some of the locals when they had information. Anon. Jeff Spencer of CPAT with visitors to CPAT s Festival of British Archaeology guided walk at Montgomery Castle. Photograph: July 2012, Hen Caerwys, Flintshire. Festival of British Archaeology 2012 Thanks to the success of the previous year s project the community excavation at Hen Caerwys in Flintshire, the site of a deserted medieval settlement, was expanded to a fortnight. Run by CPAT and Cadw the initiative involved local volunteers with professional staff providing supervision of the excavation and guided tours for visitors on 2 open days, on the 22nd and 28th July. A Dig Diary written by CPAT and Cadw staff and hosted on the CPAT website was produced to keep the wider public informed of progress and in addition a project web page detailing the ongoing research is being maintained; both can be read at uk/projects/longer/hencaer/hencaer.htm. It is planned to continue investigation of the site in Evaluation of the dig, the third of CPAT s Festival of British Archaeology 2012 events was forwarded to Cadw s Public Engagement and Outreach Working Group. Photographs: , , , July 2012, Llanelwedd, Powys. Royal Welsh

80 80 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 Show 2012 Staff from CPAT were at the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd this year to present a new exhibition which focuses on a remarkable sequence of ceremonial monuments built by the earliest farmers in Wales in the Walton Basin, between New Radnor and the English border. Dating to the Neolithic period between about 3800 and 2500 BC, they include the largest timber palisaded enclosure of this period known in Britain. A bilinguarl booklet called How the West was Won was published to accompany the exhibition (also made available via the CPAT website) and posts to CPAT s Facebook page were uploaded from the showground to give a flavour of the activity on site. Over 100 people per day visited the CPAT stand during the course of the 4-day show. August 2012 onwards, Llandrindod Wells, Powys Fresh from the Royal Welsh Show CPAT s exhibition about the prehistoric archaeology of the Hindwell Basin How the West Was Won, was loaned to Radnorshire Museum in Llandrindod Wells. It compliments a virtual reality fly-through model of the basin which already has a prominent position in the main gallery. 18 September 2012, Brockton, Shropshire An illustrated talk to 10 members of the Worthen Local History Group introduced the various bodies engaged in heritage work either side of the border, and explained the work of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. To round things off some of the types of archaeological site most likely to be spotted in the Marches were illustrated. 22 September 2012, Hereford Director Bill Britnell contributed a presentation entitled Early prehistory in the Walton Basin, a valley on the March to a joint meeting of the Society for Landscape Studies and the Woolhope Club. About 80 people were in attendance. 28 September 2012, Welshpool, Powys CPAT staff liaised between a local metal detector user and staff at Powysland Museum over the donation of several metal artefacts to the museum. The items, which included a silver penny of Henry III and an unusual medieval shield-shaped seal matrix were immediately put on display. October 2012 onwards, region-wide On a weekly basis since October, keen amateur photographer Rob Dobson of Newtown has been voluntarily travelling around the CPAT region recording certain Listed Buildings and archaeological sites on behalf of the Trust. CPAT s Nigel Jones with the owners of Hindwell Farm in the Walton Basin visiting the Trust s exhibition at the Royal Welsh Show. Photograph: October December 2012, Bersham, Wrexham Gareth Venn from Wrexham contributed to enhancement of the HER by compiling a database of historic features and buildings depicted on 1st edition Ordnance Survey maps held at the Trust. 12 October 2012, Oswestry, Shopshire Thirty-six people attended a meeting of the Oswestry and Border History and Archaeology Group where

81 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 81 they were given a presentation about the work of CPAT. We expected an interesting lecture about the events and work of the Clwyd-Powys trust and this we had. Gwyneth and Derrick Winter, OBHAG. 19 October 2012, Welshpool, Powys About 25 people, staff, trustees, committee members and members of the public attended the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust AGM where they were treated to short presentations about recent projects undertaken by the Trust in the previous year. CPAT s contribution has been in the form of attending an orientation day at each of three Tanat Valley primary schools, at Penybontfawr, Llansilin and Llanrhaeadr and contributing to field-trips to prehistoric sites of interest local to each school. At the end of the project there will be a public event to officially launch the website and take the project results to the world! 20 October 2012, Welshpool, Powys Information about recent work undertaken by CPAT was displayed at the AGM of the Council for British Archaeology Wales. 25 October 2012, Holt, Wrexham An audience of over 50 heard a talk about excavations by CPAT at Borras Quarry, Wrexham at the October meeting of Holt Local History Society. 27 October 2012, Oswestry, Shropshire The 6th annual seminar of the Old Oswestry Landscape and Archaeology Project attracted an audience of approximately 260 people to the Marches School in Oswestry. CPAT was represented by several posters and displays on recent projects. 30 October 2012, Sarn, Powys An illustrated talk on local hillforts and enclosures of late prehistory and the Romano-British period was given to an audience of 20 at the AGM of Sarn Local History Group. We found out about sites of which we had no previous knowledge. Details of website very useful. Mrs M A Price, Honorary Secretary. November 2012 March 2013, Powys. Dyffryn Tanat Valley Prehistoric Digital Map In the latter part of the year CPAT have been working in partnership with local artist Sean Harris on a Heritage Lottery Fund project to create an animated website with school children inspired by the prehistory of the Tanat Valley. Above: Part of the Glanhafon hoard of torcs and bracelets loaned by Powysland Museum and presented to pupils from Penybontfawr at a Bronze Age cairn site, perhaps their original find-spot, above the Tanat Valley. Photograph: Below: School children from Penybontfawr visit the Maes Mochnant standing stone. Photograph:

82 82 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 18 November 2012, Hawarden, Flintshire Into the Blue was a community event held at the Hawarden Institute on Sunday 18th November as part of the Cadw-funded Military Airfields Hinterlands project. It had three main aims To inform the public of the Cadw-funded 20th century military airfields project. To collect the reminiscences of people with first hand knowledge of the 3 study sites, RAF Hawarden, RAF Sealand and RAF Wrexham; particularly for the wartime period. To gather new information about military sites for study as part of this year s project. The event was busy, with between 30 and 40 people attending and several stopping to chat about their knowledge of one or other of the sites. People also reminisced about seeing wartime air crashes and the characters they met and friends they made during their years of service. The success of the day was due partly to contributions from several other interested groups and individuals who offered their time for free. We are very grateful to Debbie Seymour of Flintshire County Council, Colin and Jacquie Barber and Ray Roberts of Rhydymwyn Valley History Society, Mike Grant of the Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group, Rob Evans of the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust and Roy Marsh of Clwyd Aviation Group. A view of the Into the Blue event at Hawarden Institute. Photograph: January 2012 to March 2013, Brecon, Powys Between January 2012 and March 2013 CPAT staff have contributed to an Interpretation & Activity Group brought together by Nigel Blackamore, Curator of Brecknock Museum. The group is a forum for expressing views and accessing specialist advice about the presentation of the galleries in the museum which is currently undergoing major refurbishment and development. 6 February 2013, Welshpool, Powys CPAT staff led an Introduction to Archaeology afternoon for a Year 6 class at Ysgol Maesydre. After a brief illustrated introductory talk there was a question and answer session and then the pupils got down to a practical session where they used seed trays, gravel and compost sprinkled with cress seeds to create their own cropmarks such as those archaeologists look for when searching for new sites. 18 February 2013, Ruthin, Denbighshire An illustrated talk on the Romans in north-east Wales to 38 members of the Ruthin Local History Group. A view of the Into the Blue event at Hawarden Institute. Photograph: Thank you Jeff for coming up to Ruthin to speak to our group - I enjoyed your Roman Road trip along the coast from Chester to Rhyl and up the Vale to Ruthin - I would like to think that we might be the lost town of Varis - but as we seem to lack mineral wealth I somehow doubt it. Heulwen Evans, Ruthin Local History Group. 22 February 2013, Welshpool, Powys CPAT was invited to have a presence at a science

83 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 83 event at Welshpool High School as part of the Get On With Science (GOWS) project. The virtual reality flythrough model of the Caersws basin was used to begin discussions about archaeology and the use of science. The afternoon event was attended by Year 6 students from 3 local primary schools and Year 7/8 students from the High School. We are very grateful for the input you have made to GOWS and very much hope the opportunity will arise to work together in the future. The schools you worked with during the science afternoon at Welshpool High School on 22 February all have your contact details so they can contact you directly if they choose to deliver a similar event in the future. I am attaching a copy of a recent report to our Advisory Group which highlights some of the many positive impacts of GOWS. Dawn Colyer, GOWS Project Liaison Officer. 6 March 2013, Welshpool, Powys An illustrated talk on CPAT and some of its recent projects in the area to approximately 30 members of Welshpool Rotary Club. 20 March 2013, Holywell, Flintshire A Year 4 class of 30 pupils from Ysgol Maesydre in Welshpool went on a fieldtrip to St Winefride s Well and the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park. As well as supervising the children CPAT staff acted as a guide to the historic remains. The group walked along an abandoned railway line, investigated the holy well and chapel of St Winefride and learned about the array of industrial remains in the heritage park which began life as part of a very important copper and brass works in the 18th century. Staff and pupils from Ysgol Maesydre, Welshpool at the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park. Photograph: March 2012, Welshpool, Powys Bill Britnell gave a talk about archaeological excavation and recording grant-aided by Cadw at the Glas-hirfryn late medieval half-timbered house on a Timber Repair day organised by Jill Fairweather of Cadw for staff of Cadw, Powys County Council Conservation Officers and students of Swyddog Cynllun Bwrswriaeth Treftadaeth who were accompanied by their tutor, Helena Burke who wrote later to say It was a fantastic opportunity for Foundations in Heritage Bursary Students to understand the importance of archaeology in relation to restoration projects. I think they all enjoyed it and were grateful for the opportunity to ask you questions. Timber recording in advance of repair and restoration at Glas-hirfryn, Powys. Photograph: Pupils from Ysgol Maesydre, Welshpool at St. Winefride s Well, Holywell. Photograph: The day also involved site visits to the Manor Joinery

84 84 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 workshop, Pontesbury, where repair work on the timbers is taking place, and where philosophical and technical approaches to timber repair were considered, and to the Leighton Centre near Welshpool where issues relating to timber repairs were also considered. 20 March 2012, Kerry, Powys An evening talk about the Cistercian abbey of Strata Marcella near Welshpool and recent Cadw-funded work at the site by CPAT. An audience of 12 was in attendance. Members of Kerry Local History Group at their meeting on 20 March 2012 Maintaining the Trust s website Work has continued on the CPAT website throughout the year. The number of individual pages continues to grow and as in previous years it is still gratifying to see that a relevant search in Google still returns CPAT as the first option out of 1,600,000 worldwide entries. Again as in previous years the number of links made to our site by major internet sites such as co.uk continues to rise. Web statistics for the past year show that there have been 129,499 individual unique pages loaded made by 71,097 unique visitors of which 10,682 were regularly returning visitors and 60,415 were visiting for the first time. Although these figures are slightly down on those for a comparable period last year, the daily average is slightly up at 361 unique pages loaded every day, and although the distribution of this activity remains uneven across the week, there have been several peaks of over 1000 visitors in a day. This year visitors have come from more than 200 different countries with the top ten regular users being the UK (8500), USA (1105), Australia (163), Canada (125), Germany (75), France (53), India (34), Ireland (33), Hong Kong (31), Netherlands (25), although single visitors continue range from a wide Worldwide distribution of source of hits on the Trust s website on 25 March 2013

85 CPAT Annual Review 2012/13 85 variety of locations such as Cape Verde, Khazakstan, Guadeloupe and Uraguay. The most popular pages continue to be those for the Historic Churches Survey (with Partrishow in Brecknockshire still coming out on top - churches/brecon/16931.htm, Historic Landscapes, the CPAT News pages, and the Offa s Dyke Initiative. Again as in previous years the majority of visitors come to the site through internet search engines, with Google still accounting for over 88% of all searches. The number of downloads of PDFs from the site has also increased dramatically with self-guided walks and quarterly newsletters ahead of most other categories. CPAT Newsletters CPAT has continued to produce its twice-yearly newsletter, with the most recent issues focusing on a range of sites and topics such as Strata Marcella abbey, a Napoleonic sword found in a tree by the River Severn, and further work at Hen Caerwys deserted medieval settlement, Flintshire and Pen y Gaer Roman fort and civil settlement, Breconshire. These and previous issues of the Newsletter can be downloaded at newslets.htm. Jeff Spencer and Chris Martin In particular work this year has included the preparation of an extensive section on the recent historic settlements surveys for Wrexham ( cpat.org.uk/ycom/wrexham/wrexham.htm). Beacon Ring - Bringing History to your Mobile In association with HistoryPoints.org the Trust has placed a small plaque with a QR code at the Trust s hillfort at Beacon Ring. If you scan the top QR code on a smartphone you recieve an instant summary about the HiPoint (history point), for which you do not need an internet connection. The lower QR label take you to a page on the HistoryPoints website with gives more information and also gives links to the Trust s website. We are exploring the feasibility of working with HistoryPoints on other sites of archaeological interest in the Trust s area.