Monument record 0420802131 - Atheletics Ground, Stowe School

Summary

Remains of eighteenth and nineteenth century garden paths and retaining wall found during watching brief.

Protected Status/Designation

  • SHINE: Stowe medieval to post medieval landscape garden, medieval deserted villages of Lamport & Boycott, shrunken village of Daford, also moats, manors and fishponds, ridge and furrow earthworks & cropmarks, and areas of ancient semi natural woodland

Map

Type and Period (3)

  • GARDEN PATH (18th Century - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)
  • GARDEN PATH (19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)
  • RETAINING WALL (19th Century - 1800 AD? to 1899 AD?)

Description

A watching brief was carried out by Oxford Archaeology in April and May 2009 during topsoil stripping and regrading for construction of a new playing field in Bourbon Fields and resurfacing work at the existing Athletics Ground. No archaeological features were found at the new playing field due to the extent and depth of previous ploughing. Remains of two yellow gravel paths and foundations of an unmortared limestone wall were found during ground reduction at the Athletics Ground. One path (context 35) aligned NW-SE is identified as a path apparently known as the Lady's Diagonal, between the Grecian Temple and Lord Cobham's Pillar constructed in the 1750s; the other path (context 28) was 5.7m wide and aligned E-W is identified as a path shown on a map of 1843, possibly an access path into the kitchen gardens. The limestone retaining wall was 0.95m wide and visible for at least 10m [50m shown on plan in report, aligned E-W [shown as NW-SE on plan in report] and was apparently associated with a possible ha-ha ditch 0.7m deep and 2.2m wide. The wall is identified as a possible terrace wall for a path known as the Gothic Walk between Lord Cobham's Pillar and the Gothic Temple [however the plan in the report appears to show the wall on the same alignment as the surviving fragments of the 19th century kitchen garden wall CAS 0420802057, shown on the 1st edition 25-inch OS map]. See report for detail (B51).
NGR to wall.

Sources (1)

  • <51>SBC23472 Unpublished document: Oxford Archaeology. 2009. New Playing Fields and Athletics Track, Stowe School: Archaeological Watching Brief.

Location

Grid reference SP 67867 37828 (point)
Civil Parish STOWE, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief (Ref: STSCAP 08) (EBC17193)

Record last edited

Jul 27 2022 1:23PM

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