7 Chapel Street, Potton, Bedfordshire: Archaeological Field Evaluation

Planning permission was granted for the demolition of an existing outbuilding and the construction of a new building at 7 Chapel Street, Potton, Bedfordshire. Because of the archaeological potential of the site, a condition was attached to the planning permission requiring a staged archaeological investigation of the site. The Stage 1 trial trenching took place on 13th October 2016. One trench measuring 10m long and 2m wide was excavated within the footprint of the proposed new building. Two sherds of pottery dating to the 12th-13th century were found in the subsoil. No archaeological features or deposits were found within the trial trench. The absence of archaeological features and deposits within the trial trench suggests the archaeological potential of the site of the new building is extremely low. The presence of pottery sherds in the subsoil dating to the 12th-13th century indicates medieval activity in the area but not necessarily in the immediate vicinity of the site. This activity is likely to be agricultural in origin, located on the outskirts of the settlement core.