Archaeological Evaluation at Best Western Plus Hotel and Club House, Magnolia Park Golf Club, Arncott Road, Boarstall, Buckinghamshire

Before excavation began for any of the trenches, the vegetation was cut, and the area was thoroughly inspected by an ecologist to ensure no wildlife was disturbed. The trenches were excavated using a 12 tonne mechanical 360� excavator under continuous archaeological supervision. Due to practical constraints, several trenches had to be slightly relocated or altered in size. Standard John Moore Heritage Services techniques were employed throughout, involving the completion of a written record for each deposit encountered, with scale plans and section drawings compiled where appropriate. A photographic record was also produced. The evaluation trenches were accurately laid out using a sub-cm RTK GNSS system. The resultant spoil from the works was scanned using a Garret Ace 150 metal detector operating at 6.5khz frequency, and carefully visually scanned during excavation of the trenches. The archaeological evaluation at Magnolia Park Golf Club, Boarstall, has revealed only limited evidence for past activity within the proposed development area. The archaeology would appear to survive in the western and southern potions of the site, whereas to the east and south-east there has been a greater level of impact in modern times, mainly associated with the construction and landscaping of the golf course. Residual Romano-British material, comprising coarseware sherds and fragments of tegula, were recovered from a small number of contexts. These finds correspond with previous discoveries of dispersed and unstratified Roman artefacts within the area and are likely to reflect low-level activity in the wider landscape. Two small Medieval pits were recorded in Trench 4, alongside a Post-Medieval ditch and a number of undated features. The Medieval pits contained pottery dating from the 11th to 13th centuries, with additional fragments of Later Medieval tile, notably Brill/Boarstall and Penn-type fabrics typical of the local area. Given the limited number of features, their shallow nature, and the small associated assemblage, interpretation beyond basic identification is limited. The features are best regarded as representing minor, peripheral activity of Medieval and Post-Medieval date.