Oakford Archaeology was commissioned by the current owners to undertake a desk-based assessment of 122 Brixton Hill, Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth. The aim of the assessment was to define the archaeological potential of the site. The information will be used by the Greater London Archaeological Advisory Officer to Lambeth Council to determine the archaeological potential of the site and subsequently the scope of any further archaeological investigation. The desk-based assessment has established that there is no evidence for prehistoric settlement activity and findspots within the study area. Although any new evidence would be considered informative at local or regional level and therefore of medium to high Significance, given the very limited representation of such material within the study area, the potential for survival of similar assets within the site is considered to be low. Despite no evidence of Romano-British activity recovered to date within the study area, the proximity to the London to Brighton Way Roman Road (Bristow Causeway) and its Archaeological Priority Area (APA) indicates there is potential for Romano-British activity to be recovered. Though it is believed that the majority of evidence would have been truncated by 19th century development within the area and thus considered to be of low potential. However, any Romano-British activity recovered would be considered informative at local or regional level and therefore of medium to high significance. Finally, the site is located some distance to the northeast of the possible medieval settlement of Brixton Hill and outside the of its APA. The site was located beyond the edge of the historic settlement, on what is likely to have been longstanding open land. The site formed part of the extensive manor lands of Stockwell Manor for a lengthy period of time, finally being sold in the early 19th century and developed into townhouses with associated gardens soon after. Any archaeological evidence would probably relate to basement features and foundations associated to the post-medieval development along Brixton Hill and therefore be considered as only locally informative and of low significance. Given the very limited representation of material from these periods within the immediate vicinity, the potential for survival of similar assets within the site is considered to be low. Given the proximity to the line of the London to Brighton Way Roman Road and its APA, it is considered likely that the Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service (GLAAS), the archaeological advisors to London Borough of Lambeth, will require an archaeological watching brief undertaken as a condition of planning permission in order to record the nature and state of preservation of any below ground archaeological deposits within the site. Archaeological desk-based assessment of No. 122 Brixton Hill, Stockwell, London Borough of Lambeth
Patkai et al. (Wed,) studied this question.