Desk Based Assessment at Oate Hill, Chippenham

Standard DBA methodology as outlined in the relevant CIfA Standards and Guidance document. The site lies to the south-east of Chippenham, on either side of Oate Hill which is on the northern side of London Road, and lies outside the boundary of the Chippenahm Conservation Area. There are no Scheduled Monuments within the site boundary, and no listed buildings. Historic aerial photography shows that the site lay amidst extensive blocks of ridge and furrow which still survived at the end of WW2. A trawl of the local authority Historic Environment Record showed one site within the red line boundary: a former Second World War depot. No previous archaeological investigation of the study site itself has taken place, and there has been very little modern archaeological work in the area immediately around the site that might hint at its potential in that respect. The overall picture thus far is therefore at best vague. On the site itself, the best potential for archaeological survival is likely to be represented by the current gardens. Within the footprint of the houses themselves, archaeological survival on any level is far less likely. The present housing was constructed pre-PPG16 and so the site was not investigated prior to its construction. In terms of below ground heritage assets, it is probable that considerable damage has been done within the footprint of the buildings. The nature, extent, and state of preservation of the archaeological resource on and within the study site, is entirely untested and unknown. However, on the basis of the review which we have carried out for the purposes of this report, it is our opinion that the likely potential for archaeological preservation is, on balance, likely to be low.