Monument record 0420802131 - Atheletics Ground, Stowe School

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.