Rushmoor School, 71 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire: Archaeological Trial Trenching

The archaeological trial trenching was undertaken on 2nd April 2024. Two 1.8m-wide trenches with a total length of 30m were excavated. The trenches were opened by a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless bucket, operated by an experienced driver under constant archaeological supervision. The overburden was removed down to the top of undisturbed geological or archaeological deposits, whichever was encountered first. The spoil heaps from the excavated trenches were scanned for artefacts. A planning application (22/00590/FUL) was submitted to Bedford Borough Council for the erection of a Supported Housing Unit comprising eight new dwellings and associated works at Rushmoor School, 71 Shakespeare Road, Bedford. The council's Principal Archaeological Officer advised that the proposed development lay within an area close to known Romano-British remains, and that groundworks associated with the proposed development could potentially impact such archaeological remains. Albion Archaeology was commissioned to carry out the trial trench investigation required by the mitigation strategy. This took place on 2nd April 2024, entailing the excavation of two 1.8m-wide by 15m-long trenches. The trenches revealed modern building foundations and a land-drain. The land-drain is likely to be pre-19th century in date, when Ordnance Survey map data indicates that the site was probably agricultural land until it was developed in the early 20th century. The backfilled building foundations and brick remains within Trench 2 correlate with a property visible on Ordnance Survey map data, which dates to at least the early 20th century and was demolished in the early 21st century. The only artefacts identified were 19th-20th-century brick, tile, crockery and metal sewage pipe fragments. The features identified by the evaluation are of little archaeological significance and have limited potential to address any archaeological research objectives. The proposed development is therefore unlikely to have any negative impact on significant archaeological remains.