Site Event/Activity record ECH6115 - Blacon High School Rapid Cultural Heritage Desk-based Assessment

Golder Associates (UK) Ltd was contracted by Morgan Sindall plc to prepare a rapid cultural heritage desk-based assessment in support of a planning application for the proposed redevelopment of Blacon High School. The spatial scope of this assessment comprises all the land required for development together with a buffer of 500m around the site. The available archaeological and heritage datasets indicate that there are few recorded archaeological sites in the area, similarly there is a lack of designated assets around the site. There is one non-designated archaeological asset recorded within the site boundary - the site was used as a military personnel camp built during World War II to accommodate men using the nearby training camp. The potential for undiscovered archaeological remains relating to the camp is considered to be low, given that the current school grounds are located on the former parade ground of the camp which are to remain undeveloped. Additionally a possible Roman camp, identified from aerial photography in the 1980s, is documented 200m to the south of the site, although this was rejected as a Roman camp in 1994 by the RCHME Roman Camps in England Project. The significance of this rectangular enclosure remains unclear. The report recommends further desk-based archaeological assessment to be undertaken with respect to the WWII camp and also the rectangular enclosure. The results of this work should inform the potential requirement for further archaeological evaluation work prior to redevelopment of the site. (1)