Culham Battery Storage Site Culham, Oxfordshire Archaeological Evaluation Report

The evaluation involved trial-trenches targeted to provide a good spatial coverage of the site, whilst also ground-truthing the results of geophysical survey (HA 2016; MS 2022; AS 2023). The trial-trenches targeted potential archaeological features and areas indicated to be devoid of archaeological remains. The evaluation equated to a 2% sample of the proposed development area. The excavation of 26 trenches was proposed with a contingency for additional trenches up to the equivalent of a further 2% sample of the development area. A total of 43 trenches were excavated, measuring 30m x 1.8m. Between 2nd October and 15th October 2024, Oxford Archaeology was commissioned by Statera Energy Ltd to undertake a trial-trench evaluation at Culham Battery Storage Site, Culham, Oxfordshire. The work was undertaken in advance of submission of a planning application. The evaluation programme involved the investigation of 43 trenches, which targeted potential archaeological features and areas indicated as being devoid of archaeological remains. Archaeological features were identified in 10 of the 43 evaluation trenches. The evaluation results have demonstrated that the south-western part of the site was occupied during the late Roman period. The site subsequently remained largely unoccupied until the late post-medieval period, during which time it retained its rural character, as highlighted by evidence of ridge-and-furrow cultivation. The site was subsequently incorporated into the Royal Naval Air Station in the mid-20th century. The Roman pottery assemblage dates to the late Roman period, with more closely dated pottery pointing towards site occupation during the 4th century. The assemblage includes imported amphora and finewares, suggesting a settlement of at least moderate status. Post-medieval rural activity and the succeeding occupation of the site as a modern military base is reflected by the post-medieval pottery assemblage, which predominantly dates to the 19th century and includes domestic pottery commonly found on post-medieval sites in the Oxford area, as well as the glass assemblage, which includes modern items such as fragments of a soda or sauce bottle, a storage jar and a probable medicine bottle.