Archaeological Field Evaluation, London Borough of Bexley
The site covered an area of approximately 1ha on the north side of Foots Cray High Street and was within 300m of an opencast clay and shale mining site where two Upper Palaeolithic working floors and associated flintwork have been recorded.
In Brief
Key Points
- New discount food store with offices and five three-bed terraced houses
- Tier 2 Archaeological Priority Area
- Proven potential for Upper Palaeolithic archaeology
- Specialist geoarchaeological evaluation of Pleistocene sediments (Taplow Gravels)
Summary
Forming part of the River Cray Valley, Foots Cray lies to the south of Sidcup in a large area containing significant evidence of prehistoric occupation.
The Taplow-Mucking gravel formation is the lowest terrace of the Thames to have produced Palaeolithic artefacts and correlates with a period that saw brief and sporadic incursions of Neanderthal populations into Britain.
Seven evaluation trenches were opened both inside and outside an existing warehouse scheduled for demolition.
Results
The site had been heavily impacted by 20th century development and made ground was encountered in all of the trenches.
However, the Taplow gravels were encountered beneath made ground in six of the seven trenches at depths of 0.8m-3m below ground level. Test pits were excavated under the direction of our geoarchaeological and Quaternary science specialist in order to sample the gravels, which were sieved for Pleistocene fossils and Palaeolithic artefacts.
The absence of Pleistocene fossils or other paleoenvironmental remains, as well as a lack of evidence of Palaeolithic activity, suggests that the Pleistocene gravels underlying the site are archaeologically sterile.
