72-76 Church Lane Stanmore, Middlesex

In July 1998 the Oxford Archaeological Unit carried out a field evaluation at 72 - 76 Old Church Lane, Stanmore, Middlesex on behalf of Village Homes (south east) Limited. A single hand-excavated trench contained one archaeological feature. This shallow irregular cut, which is most likely to be of medieval date, was located at the eastern end of the trench. The fills contained a mixture of Saxon and medieval pottery and a small quantity of Roman brick/ tile. The feature was overlain by garden soil containing post-medieval finds, as well as very small quantities of residual prehistoric and medieval material.

The function of the single medieval feature is uncertain, but its irregular profile suggests that it may be of natural origin, perhaps a tree bole. The feature produced metal-working slag in sufficient quantity to suggest that it is not entirely residual. The single environmental sample from this feature produced a diverse and well-preserved assemblage of charred plant remains, but no other environmental/ economic indicators. Animal bones were recovered only from the post-medieval garden soils.

The mixture of prehistoric, Roman and Saxon material recovered from a single small trench, even in such small quantities, may indicate the presence of a multi-period settlement in the vicinity, although it is clear that all of the pre-medieval artefacts found are residual in later contexts.