Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Parson Cross Colleges, Parson Cross, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

In August 2007, ARCUS were commissioned by Abatech International Ltd to undertake an archaeological desk-based assessment on the sites of the former Colley College and Monteney College, Parson Cross, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (SK 3501 9316). The assessment was required to support a planning application for residential redevelopment of the site. The desk-based assessment comprised a site visit, documentary and cartographic research. There are few archaeological sites recorded in the vicinity of the application area. A church was probably constructed in Ecclesfield in the late Romano-British period, possibly with an associated settlement. The church was probably the ecclesiastical centre of the large district of Hallamshire during the early medieval period. The application area was part of one of the open fields associated with the village in the medieval period, and had been partially enclosed into smaller fields by the mid-17th century. A heavy anti-aircraft battery was located in the vicinity during the Second World War. The college sites were developed as schools to serve the new housing estate built during the 1940s-50s. Colley School had been built by 1953, and was substantially extended in the 1960s to 1980s. Monteney College, developed as St Peters Roman Catholic School, had been built by 1961, with playing fields to the east. The schools became Further Education colleges in the 1990s, but have recently been demolished. An area of housing to the south of Colley Cottage has also recently been demolished. There are no archaeological features visible within the site. Given the historic usage of the site, the potential for significant buried archaeology of medieval or later date is considered to be low, apart from any remains associated with the WWII anti-aircraft battery. The potential for prehistoric or Roman remains cannot be accurately assessed on the basis of current knowledge, with no excavation or evaluation having been carried out in the area, but the likelihood of encountering remains of national significance is considered to be low. The greatest archaeological potential is likely to be in areas that have not been disturbed by the landscaping and construction carried out for the colleges in the second half of the 20th century.