Kitchen Lift Keble College Parks Road Oxford

In August 2016, Oxford Archaeology (OA) were commissioned by Keble College to
undertake an archaeological watching brief during enabling works associated with
the refurbishment of the college kitchens. The watching brief focussed on the
excavation of a trench for a new lift pit in the SCR pantry.
The watching brief revealed the top of the second terrace gravel overlain by a layer
of post-glacial brickearth. There was some evidence for a feature in the northern
half of the trench. The shape of the feature in plan was uncertain, although it is
possible that it was linear. The fills of the feature were predominantly composed of
re-deposited brickearth, which elsewhere in the city has been indicative of
prehistoric or late Saxon features.
The location of the site lies within the projected area enclosed by the henge
identified during recent works undertaken by Thames Valley Archaeological
Services (TVAS) within the Kendrew Quadrangle of St John's College.
Consequently, it was considered whether the possible linear feature within the lift pit
trench may have also been associated with the henge, particularly given the
composition of the main fill. However, the projected eastern continuation of the ditch
identified by TVAS runs to the south of the SCR, and consequently it seems unlikely
that the southern edge of the feature is part of the same ditch.
It is possible that it represents a feature within the area encircled by the henge,
either an inner ditch or a later barrow within the henge itself. The Big Rings henge
monument at Dorchester-on-Thames was formed of two concentric ditches, and
also displayed some evidence for 'internal' features where a possible round barrow
was identified within the annulus of the ditches. However, given that the character
and date of the feature observed during the watching brief are unclear, this
interpretation can be no more than conjectural.
The gravel, brickearth and probable feature had been heavily truncated during the
construction of the south range of the Liddon Quad in the 19th century.
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