Proposed Water Booster Pumping Station, Buckland, Aylesbury. Archaeological Evaluation Report

Wessex Archaeology

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Stantec, on behalf of Thames Water, to undertake an archaeological evaluation of a 0.40 ha parcel of land located off Buckland Road, Buckland,
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP22 5LP, centred on NGR 489084 212166. The evaluation was carried out due to a request by Buckinghamshire County Archaeological Services.
The evaluation was undertaken to inform the design of a new Water Booster Station to further understand the possible effects of its proposed construction upon the archaeological resource. The evaluation was undertaken between 22 and 24 March 2023 and comprised the excavation of five trenches (15 m x 1.80 m).

The works recorded a total of eight archaeological features which were located within the middle and south-western trenches (Trenches 3 - 5). A field boundary or drainage ditch was located in the southernmost trench which, from a single, fragmented sherd of pottery, could be dated to the prehistoric period. While the remaining features were interpreted as post-medieval furrows relating to a strip field system of this period.. A single discrete feature was also encountered which was interpreted as being derived from bioturbation activity.

Overall, there seemed to be little truncation of the natural geology within the Site, with the presence of post-medieval furrows indicating that modern agricultural processes have had little impact upon the underlying archaeological horizon. The archaeological evaluation confirmed the results of the earlier geophysical survey which suggested a low potential for archaeological features and deposits.