Land to the West of Red House Farm, Botley, Oxfordshire - Archaeological Evaluation Report

Wessex Archaeology

Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation of a 49 ha parcel of land located on land to the south and west of Red House Farm, Botley, Oxfordshire, centred on NGR 446542 205861 (SP 46542 05861).

The evaluation comprising 177 trial trenches (2 % sample), with a contingency of a further 2% to further understand the findings. A total of 43 of the 177 excavated trial trenches contained archaeological features and deposits, although after investigation it was deemed that some of the features in seven of the trenches were of natural or bioturbation origin, indicating archaeological remains are present across the site, with slight concentrations in the north-western, central and south-eastern areas.

The uncovered features comprising ditches, gullies, pits, a posthole, trackways, and a dew pond. While a large number of the features remain undated, those from which pottery was recovered date mainly to the Iron Age and medieval periods. There are also some small traces of evidence of earlier prehistoric activity with a Late
Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flint blade and Bronze Age pottery being recovered from a couple of the features. Romano-British activity is also present on the site but limited to a single ditch. While a small amount of pottery was recovered which post-dates the medieval period, the recovery of other artefacts such as ceramic building material (CBM) and glass indicates activity on the site during this period, particularly in the south-east and associated with the Blind Pinnocks and Dean Court Grange buildings.