Monument record 0670900000 - Land at Stratford House, Stratford Road, Buckingham

Evaluation trenching by Oxford Archaeology in March 2002 revealed evidence for medieval occupation in the late 11th to 13th centuries. It would appear that the site was possibly abandoned from the early 14th to the later 17th centuries. In the 17th century a boundary ditch was constructed dividing the site, presumably into separate properties and occupation recommenced. Medieval features comprise 5 pits found in Trench 2 (pit 207), Trench 3 (pits 310, 313 and 315) and Trench 5 (pit 509), all cut into an earlier medieval clay silt plough soil. Pit 207 measured 1.5m X 0.45m, 0.14m deep and contained late 11th century pottery in the fill. Pit 310 measured 1.2m diameter, 0.4m deep and contained 13th century pottery and animal bone in the fill but appears not to have been fully investigated. Pit 313 measured 1.6m X 1.3m, 0.6m deep and contained late 11th century pottery and animal bone in the fill. Pit 315 measured 0.3m X 0.4m but was not fully investigated. Pit 509 was large, measuring approx 3.5m diameter, 0.62m deep and contained late 11th century pottery and animal bone in the lowest fill, 13th century pottery and animal bone in the secondary fill, and late 11th century pottery (?redeposited) and animal bone in the upper fill. Post-medieval features comprise 2 pits and a ditch found in Trench 3. Pit 312 measured at least 1m X 0.9m, 0.6m deep and contained late 17th century pottery, animal bone, clay tobacco pipe, glass and a metal object in the fill. Ditch 311 was aligned NW-SE, measured at least 1.6m long, 0.8-0.9m wide, 0.42m deep and contained late 17th century pottery, animal bone, clay tobacco pipe, ceramic building material and glass in the fill. It was cut by pit 317 which measured 1.15m X 0.6m, 0.37m deep and contained mid 18th century pottery, animal bone, clay tobacco pipe and ceramic building material in the fill. All the features were sealed by late post-medieval/19th century made ground and garden soil layers (B1).
Excavations undertaken in August 2003 revealed a similar set of features as revealed in the evaluation. A driveway had been cut without archaeological supervision and had truncated archaeological deposits. Hardcore put in as a base for the driveway was excavated with a JCB to allow archaeological excavation to go ahead. One rubbish pit containing 12th century pottery and animal bone, including a bird bone that had been made into a whistle, was excavated in the base of this excavation trench while the other features were identified in the section and had been cut away by the excavation of the driveway. These included a pit containing 11th century pottery and two post-holes, one of which yielded a sherd of 13th century pottery. Five square footings were also found that contained concrete stanchions that formerly supported a barn of 19th or 20th century date. Two test-pits were also dug. A 19th century foundation trench was found in one (B2).
Watching brief on foundation for new building on land adjacent to 2 Stratford Road revealed a 19th century foundation trench (B3).