Broadmoor Hospital Access Road Crowthorne

Oxford Archaeology undertook an evaluation at Broadmoor Hospital Estate,
Crowthorne, on behalf of Birse Civils, in advance of the planned construction of a
new access road proposed as part of the wider redevelopment of the estate. The
access road had been identified as the area within the overall hospital development
with the highest potential for archaeological discoveries as the least disturbed by
previous development.
Prior to establishment of Broadmoor Hospital in the late 19th century the site was
undeveloped heathland with low potential for historic settlement. However the
Roman Road from London to Silchester ('The Devil's Highway') lies adjacent to the
north end of the proposed access road. The 1st to 4th century AD Roman site at
Wickham Bushes (a possible posting station) lies close to the road c. 1.5km to the
north-east of the site, demonstrating the potential for Roman archaeology in
proximity to the road.
An initial phase of evaluation, comprising a geophysical survey and ten trenches,
was carried out by Oxford Archaeology in May 2011 but identified no significant
archaeological remains.
The Phase 2 evaluation comprises nine additional trenches, which were excavated
in January 2013 to infill gaps in coverage in areas covered with woodland at the
time of the Phase 1 evaluation. No significant archaeological features were
identified. A large 20th century pit (continuing plastic and fabric) was observed in
Trench 11. Made ground layers associated with a late 19th or 20th century path were
observed in Trench 20, which clearly post-date creation of the hospital grounds in
the late 19th century. These results, combined with those of the 2011 trial trenching,
suggest that construction of the access road has very low potential for significant
archaeological discoveries.