Castlefields, Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire: Archaeological Trial Trenching

The trial trenching took place between 26th August and 30th September 2022 and comprised an initial 18 trenches, each 30m long and 1.8m wide. An additional contingency trench (Trench 19) (24m long and 1.8m wide) was excavated to try to locate the continuation of a ditch revealed in Trench 12. Trench 12 was also extended by c. 23m2 on its south-west side to further expose the same large ditch. The initial trenches represented a 3% sample of the area. They were positioned to test geophysical anomalies and to provide an even coverage,the addition of a contingency trench and extension was agreed prior to the work and brings the total sampled area to 3.2% CALA Homes are preparing a planning application for residential development at Land to the Rear of Castlefields, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. The proposed development area (PDA) was the subject of a geophysical survey (Magnitude Surveys 2021) and the adjacent areas to the north, south and west were the subject of a desk-based assessment (TVAS 2020). To complete the archaeological evaluation of the site, Albion Archaeology was commissioned to undertake a programme of trial trenching. The trial trenching took place between 26th August and 30th September 2022. The 19 trial trenches revealed 10 archaeological features, one of which produced dating evidence, and the remains of ridge and furrow cultivation. The features primarily comprised a series of small, undated ditches (on broadly N-S alignments) and small dispersed pits across the PDA; they are likely to be the remains of former field systems. A large ditch on the south-east periphery of the PDA contained two fragments of late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pottery. It was significantly larger than any other ditches within the PDA or adjacent trial trenching. The fills of the ditch contained a small amount of charcoal indicative of low-level activity of some form in the vicinity. The ditch was not visible on the geophysical survey and was not identified within any other trenches. An additional trial trench, opened to try to identify the route of the ditch, did not reveal its continuation. Ridge and furrow cultivation was also evidenced across the entirety of the PDA. A change in alignment (not detected by the geophysical survey) was identified along the western boundary of the PDA.