chris butler buildings survey of hurst green school v2

Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services A Standing Building Survey of Hurst Green Primary School, Hurst Green, East Sussex TQ 73494 26738 by Keith Butler PIFA December 2010 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Summary A Level Building Survey was carried out on the Victorian School and Head Master’s House at Hurst Green, East Sussex, prior to its demolition as part of the redevelopment of Hurst Green Primary School The survey revealed that the integral school and head masters house were built in 1862, with the kitchen extension added before 1898 The school was then unaltered until various additions were made between the 1950’s and 1980’s The original buildings represent a good example of a later 19th century school Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services Ltd Prehistoric Flintwork Specialist Rosedale Berwick Polegate East Sussex BN26 6TB Tel & fax: 01323 871021 e mail: chris@reltub.fsbusiness.co.uk Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Historical & Archaeological Background 3.0 Survey Methodology 4.0 Building Survey: Exterior Description 5.0 Building Survey: Interior Description 6.0 Discussion 7.0 Acknowledgements Figures Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig 10 Fig 11 Fig 12 Fig 13 Fig 14 Figs 15 -27 Site location map Plan of School 1st Edition OS Map 2nd Edition OS Map 3rd Edition OS Map 1975 OS Map East-west elevation through School building from the north side East-west elevation through School building from the south side 1954 Plan before extensions 1957 Plan after extensions 1956 Plan of School Master’s House 1961 changes to north window in Hall Roof Plan of School 2004 Phased plan of School Photographs Appendices Appendix I List of plans and drawings in archive Appendix II HER Summary Form Chris Butler Archaeological Services 1.0 Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Introduction 1.1 Chris Butler Archaeological Services was commissioned by Mansell Construction Services Limited (The Client) to carry out a Level Standing Building Survey of the Victorian school buildings in advance of their demolition as part of the construction of a new school building at Hurst Green School, Hurst Green, East Sussex As a result of the buildings interest as a Victorian school and Master’s house, East Sussex County Council (ESCC) put a condition on the planning consent for the development, requiring an appropriate programme of archaeological work to be undertaken 1.2 The School is located on the west side of the A21 London Road centred on TQ 73494 26738 (Fig 1), and is situated on the southern edge of Hurst Green village The site is currently the site of Hurst Green C of E Primary School, and is bounded by the road on its east side, houses on its south and north sides, and a field on the west side The original school building has been added to over the 20th century, with various additions, including classrooms and offices to the west side of the original hall Temporary classrooms were also erected on the north side of the school 1.3 The site is not within a designated Conservation Area or Archaeologically Sensitive Area, but is within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The school site is included within the Development Boundary of Hurst Green, with the field immediately to the west shown as part of a Site of Nature Conservation Importance, whilst Long Shaw a little further west is designated as Ancient Woodland 1.4 An Archaeological desk-based assessment has established that prior to having the current school built on the site in 1862 it was used as a nursery garden There is no evidence for any previous activity at the site although there is evidence in the surrounding landscape for Roman and Post Medieval ironworking, and there is evidence for activity from the Mesolithic period through to the Post Medieval period in the wider surrounding area of the site 1.5 In addition to the building survey, a programme of archaeological work, in accordance with a brief prepared by the Archaeology Team at ESCC, comprising a geophysical survey followed by an evaluation excavation was carried out in 2009 4 ESCC 2004 The East Sussex County Landscape Assessment (http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/yourcouncil/consultation/2006/landscapeassessment/download.htm) Rother District Council 2006 Adopted Local Plan: Inset Map No 20 Butler, C 2008 An Archaeological Desk-based Assessment for Hurst Green Primary School, Hurst Green, East Sussex, CBAS Report Butler, C 2009 An Archaeological Evaluation Excavation at Hurst Green Primary School, Hurst Green, East Sussex CBAS Report Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green 2.0 Archaeological & Historical background 2.1 There have been no discoveries of Palaeolithic artefacts in the immediate area of Hurst Green, and there are only a handful of artefacts known to have a provenance in the Weald5 Such discoveries are normally linked to specific geological conditions, such as tertiary deposits and gravels, which are not normally found in this area 2.2 There is no current evidence for Mesolithic activity at or near the site However there is a great deal of evidence for Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups exploiting the resources of the High Weald woodland for hunting and gathering throughout the Mesolithic period Such sites, comprising scatters of flint debitage and tools, are sometimes extensive, suggesting either longer-stay camps or short-stay camps which were being visited repeatedly over a period of time The evidence for this period suggests that there is some likelyhood of Mesolithic activity being present on the site, given its location and outlook 2.3 There are no local finds of Neolithic flintwork in the area of Hurst Green, however, it is possible that Neolithic artefacts could be present and if so may indicate the presence of underlying Neolithic features, although evidence for Neolithic settlement is very rare, and the likelyhood of finding Neolithic artefacts is considered to be low Similarly, no Bronze Age sites or artefacts are known from Hurst Green, and given the lack of evidence for Bronze Age activity in the area, there is a low probability that remains from this period will be found during work at the site 2.4 There are no finds or features from the site or its immediate vicinity that date from the Iron Age, although a ridgeway track that runs through Hurst Green via Etchingham to Heathfield was likely to have been in use during the Iron Age (MES4360) It was during the Iron Age that the Weald began to be exploited for iron production, with a relatively small number of sites known 7, although no Iron Age iron working sites are currently known from the Hurst Green area 2.5 Ironworking became a major industry during the Romano-British period, with large numbers of iron working sites across the Weald There are no Roman ironworking sites at Hurst Green, but a Roman bloomery site is situated at Brickhurst Wood (TQ752277) 1.5km to the east of Hurst Green 9, and there have been other finds of slag near Little Iridge Farm, which may be of Roman origin Pope, M 2003 ‘The Earliest Occupation of Sussex: Recent Research and Future Objectives’, in Rudling, D (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd, 17-28, Fig 2.8 Holgate, R 2003 ‘Late Glacial and Post-glacial Hunter-gatherers in Sussex’, in Rudling, D (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd, 2938 Hodgkinson, J 2008 The Wealden Iron Industry, Stroud, Tempus Publishing Cleere, H et al 1995 The Iron Industry in the Weald, Cardiff, Merton Priory Press Anon., 1976 ‘Inventory of sites visited by WIRG’, Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group, 1st Series, Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green 2.6 Iridge was a tithing of Henhurst Hundred from 1248 onwards, and first appears as a manor in 1539 when Martin Brabon was in possession of it10; the Brabon family having been in residence since at least 1327 11 Iridge Place (DES4508), presumably the location of the original manor house, is situated 250m to the north-east of the site The only archaeological find of Medieval date known from the immediate area is a coin of Henry III (1216-1272) found to the south of Little Iridge Farm Given the location of the site and its relationship with Iridge Place it is possible that there will be some evidence for Medieval activity at the site 2.7 There are a number of Post Medieval iron-working sites in the immediate vicinity of Hurst Green 12 Bugsell Forge (TQ724256) was in use during the later 16th century, and was working in 1653, but ruined by 1664 13 Iridge Furnace was built in 1584 and is shown on the Iridge estate map of 1637 14 together with the extensive system of ponds feeding it It probably went out of use before the end of the 17th century 15 2.8 As well as iron working, there were other industries in and around Hurst Green, including brickworks A brick kiln south-east of Iridge Place (TQ740268) was listed on the tithe award of 1841, and may have been associated with building work at Iridge Place in 1717, whilst a second brick kiln is hinted at by the 1841 field name ‘Brick Kiln Mead’ on Grove Hill Farm (TQ733263) 16 Hurst Green Foundry dates back to 1704, and continued to operate into the early 20th century17 2.9 The 1841 Tithe map shows the site to be within a large field named the ‘Nursery Ground’ occupied by John Nash and owned by S.B Peckham Micklethwait, and which was arable at the time Nash also occupies two other fields to the south-west, which are also owned by Micklethwait A yard and barn next to these fields are also owned by Mickelthwait, but occupied by Henry Elphee The adjacent field to the west is owned by George French, occupied by John Buss and is called ‘Hop Field’ None of the nearby field names provide evidence for past land use, although the names ‘Nursery Ground’, ‘Hop Field’ and ‘Fruit Plantation’ provide evidence for the use of this land for market gardening 2.10 The Hurst Green school was erected in 1862 on land that was originally a nursery garden, and had been given for that purpose by Henry Sharnborne Nathaniel Mickelthwait Accommodation was provided for 145 children, and a residence for the master adjoined the school 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Salzman, L.F 1973 Victoria County History: Sussex Vol Folkstone, Dawsons Vivian, P (Ed) 1953 ‘The Manor of Etchingham cum Salehurst’, Sussex Record Society Vol 53 Straker, E 1931 Wealden Iron, London, Bell Cleer, H & Crossley, D 1995 The Iron Industry in the Weald, Cardiff, Merton Priory Press Ltd ESRO (ACC 6732-2) Hodgkinson, J.S & Houghton, R.G 2000 ‘Iridge Furnace, Hurst Green’, Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group 2nd Series, 20 Beswick, M 2001 Brickmaking in Sussex, Midhurst, Middleton Press ESRO (AMS6209 &6214) Hodson, L.J 1914 A Short History of the Parish of Salehurst Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green 2.11 The 1st Edition OS map (1874) shows the school building confined to the southeastern part of the site, with what appears to be a formal orchard/nursery garden covering the remainder of the site A long thin strip of orchard runs west from Jacobswell Farm to the north of the site, and there are open fields to the west Overall the layout of the fields and landscape has hardly changed at all from the tithe map apart from the building of the school There is little change shown in the 2nd and 3rd Edition OS maps 2.12 The 1947 aerial photograph shows one or more structures in the north-east corner of the adjacent field The original school building can be seen, and very little change appears to have been made since its original construction There is no obvious evidence for an air raid shelter, although much of the surrounding area is covered with trees The area of the playing field is open ground and no features can be seen 2.13 Three 10m x1∙8m archaeological evaluation trenches were excavated in advance of the building of the new school in 2009 Only a single Post Medieval feature was noted, and a small number of artefacts, mostly dating from the Post Medieval period, were recovered The earliest finds were a few pieces of prehistoric flintwork, and a single sherd of possible 13th century pottery Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green 3.0 Building Survey Methodology 3.1 A standing buildings survey, conforming to an English Heritage Level survey was carried out on the property on the 30th January 2010 The survey on the building was conducted by the author with the assistance of Chris Butler The purpose of the survey was to record the fabric of the building before it was demolished due to the construction of a new school building The survey was only to cover the Victorian parts of the school building and not the later 20th century additions 3.2 A full descriptive record was made of the exterior of the building, and then the interior; room by room, and forms the basis of the following report A range of supporting photographs was taken using both digital and colour slide A description and photographic record of original or early fixtures and fittings is contained in the archive, and these are mentioned in the descriptive record where relevant 3.3 During the survey of the interior of the building, the definition of each room was that used on the plan supplied to Chris Butler Archaeological Services Ltd by Mansell Construction Service Limited (Fig 2) 3.4 Detailed sketches were made of the building during the survey, and these will form part of the archive No drawn plans or sections were prepared as a number of architect drawings of the building at different stages of its development are available Some have been included in this report; all are retained in the archive (Appendix I) 3.5 A second visit was made on the 16th November 2010 to observe the roof area of both buildings during demolition as it had not been possible to gain access during the earlier survey We were advised by the contractor that the School Master’s House was unsafe, and it was only possible to view the roof structure through the roof hatch Only a small part at the apex of the trusses in the school hall was obscured by the asbestos sheeting and would appear unlikely to be different to the part that was viewed during the survey 3.6 The archive will be deposited at East Sussex Records Office on completion of the project, and digital copy will be submitted to the East Sussex County Council HER Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green 4.0 Building Survey: Exterior Description 4.1 School Master’s House The school master’s house is situated to the south of the main school hall, to which it is connected (Fig 2) The building is on two storeys, and consists of a library and a staff room on the ground floor, with on the first floor the head masters room and a rest room, with a centrally located staircase The house is of red brick construction with a red ceramic tiled roof, with a row of rounded ridge tiles at its apex Both ends of the roof are gabled, with a wooden decorative finial positioned at the apex of the wooden barge board A single storey extension has been added to the west end of the house in c.1958 (Fig 11) There are two low red brick chimney stacks which converge into two tall thinner stacks (Fig 16) These are located on the northern side of the roof, and are within the house but avoiding the ridge (Fig 13) Each of the chimney stacks is square and turned on edge to form a straight edged figure of eight shape with the second chimney stack There were three bands of raised brickwork around each of the chimney stacks, with the band at the top of the stack being of a single course The second band below this consisted of three courses graduated in to the lower end The lowest band below these was of a single course of bricks There was only one chimney pot on each pair of stacks, with the pot on the west stack of the western pair, and the east stack on the eastern pair 4.2 Southern Elevation (Fig 8) The southern elevation is of red bricks these are laid in English Bond with alternating courses of headers and stretchers The lowest four courses of brick are stepped out with the top course of bricks having the exposed side of the stretcher chamfered The bonding material between the bricks was a pale buff colour with sandy ironstone inclusions There are two windows of the same type on the ground floor; these consisted of a single mullion and transom of worked sandstone which formed a cross The windows also had worked sandstone surrounds Within the stonework there were four lights each with a metal frame, with the both of the upper and lower lights opening Within the brickwork above each window was a decorative window head constructed of red bricks laid vertically Placed centrally between the two ground floor windows was the side door into the school master’s house This had the same type of worked sandstone block surround as the two windows on the ground floor, with a wooden surround within The door itself was arched and constructed of nine tongue and grooved planks There was a small rectangular window in the upper part of the door, with the glass in this window being patterned The only door furniture was a modern ‘Yale’ lock, with doorway having a sandstone threshold Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green There was only one window on the first floor which was a dormer window, of four lights arranged vertically in two pairs (Figs 18 & 19) These were framed in wood with only the top pair opening The roof above the window formed a small ceramic tiled gable with a wooden barge board, with an area below this, consisting of four rows of decorative red ceramic tiles A metal water guttering ran along the edge of the roof with a metal (cast iron) down pipe at either end At the far western end of this elevation was the entrance to the 1956 extension 4.3 Eastern Elevation The eastern elevation is of the same type of English Bond as on the southern elevation, also having the same lower four courses stepped out The gable is covered in red ceramic tile with the bottom of each tile curved (Fig 15) There are two windows place immediately above one another on this elevation, with the one on the ground floor being the same as type as on the south wall The first floor widow however was of a similar design but only having the worked stone mullion Both of the windows having heads of decorative red brick laid vertically above them in the brickwork There was a metal (cast iron) down pipe with a rectangular hopper at the top on the far northern end of this elevation 4.4 Porch The eastern wall cut in at its northern end, with a wooden porch which was attached to the northern wall and the continuation of the eastern wall (Fig 17) The porch comprised four wooden corner pillars (each 150mm square) set on a floor of large paving stones The visible corners of the pillars had been chamfered, these were At the top of each pairs of pillars there was a cross frame which was supported by an arch-shaped wooden brace There are five pairs of rafters supporting the tiled roof; with each of these having a ‘T’ shaped brace, close to the apex of the rafters It was also noted that the front rafters were constructed of thicker timber that the others Attached to first pair of rafters at their apex was an ‘L’ shaped metal bracket with two pieces of metal forming a cross attached to the end of the bracket The porch measured 1.86m wide by 1.59m deep, and was 3.5m high to the top of the roof The end of these pieces of metal had been bent upwards The porch protected the original main door to the school This was constructed of nine planks of tongue and grooved timber, with an arched top The door furniture consisting of two decorative metal strap hinges positioned on the northern edge, a centrally placed letter box, and a modern Yale lock and door handle on the southern edge The entrance surround comprised similar worked sandstone blocks as had been used on the southern wall of the School Master’s House, and having a single concrete step, 100mm high, in front of the door It was noted that there was graffiti on both sides of the stone door surround, this was indistinct on the left side, but the graffiti on the right side appeared to read ‘GS TO BR’ (Fig 21) Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 7: Hurst Green Primary School: East-west elevation through School building from the north side (adapted from drawing 135.1.1) 25 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 8: Hurst Green Primary School: East-west elevation through School building from the south side (Adapted from drawing 135/5/5) 26 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 9: Hurst Green Primary School: 1954 Plan of School, before extensions (Adapted from drawing S/E/135) 27 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 10: Hurst Green Primary School: 1957 Plan of School, after extensions (Adapted from drawing 57033/1) 28 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 11: Hurst Green Primary School: 1958 Plan of School Master’s House (Adapted from drawing 135/2/3) 29 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 12: Hurst Green Primary School: 1961 changes to north window in School Hall Original window on left, new design on right (Adapted from drawing 135/2/1) 30 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 13: Hurst Green Primary School: Roof plan of School 2004 (Adapted from drawing 2488/004) 31 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 14: Hurst Green Primary School: Phased Plan of School 32 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Figs 15-17: Hurst Green Primary School: Photographs of Masters House and porch 33 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Figs 18-19: Hurst Green Primary School: Photographs of Masters House south elevation Figs 20-21: Hurst Green Primary School: Grooves and Graffiti 34 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Figs 22-23: Hurst Green Primary School: Views of the school from the east 35 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 24 (above): Hurst Green Primary School: Hall & Kitchen extension from north-east Fig 25 (left): Hurst Green Primary School: Window in north wall of Hall 36 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Figs 26-27: Hurst Green Primary School: Inside the School Hall 37 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Appendix I Drawings in Archive Drawing No Subject Date 5/E/135 5/E/135 57033/1 135.1.1 135/2/3 135/2/1 2729/4 135/3/1 135/3/3 135/3/4 135/5/2 135/5/3 135/5/4 135/5/5 135/5/6 135/5/7 135/5/11 135/5 Mech 3035/1 2488/003 2488/004 2488/005 2488/006 2488/007 Plan of School before extensions Plan of School after extensions Plan of School – water services Area improvements Alterations to Teachers House Enlargement of window Area Improvements Proposed classroom – working drawing Proposed classroom – electrical Proposed classroom – detail section Site plan Plan & section Ground floor plan Elevations/sections Cross section Sections Ground floor plan – Electrical Ground floor plan – Water Plan Plan of existing Plan of existing roofscape Current issues Design constraints Preliminary options Oct 1954 Oct 1954 2/7/57 10/2/57 28/4/58 May 1961 1967 12/10/79 Undated (10/79?) 11/10/79 Oct 84 Sept 84 Sept 84 Oct 84 Nov 84 Undated (84?) Nov 84 Oct 84 June 2002 7/12/04 8/12/04 9/12/04 9/12/04 7/12/04 38 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Appendix II HER Summary Form Site Code HGS 09 Identification Name and Address Hurst Green School , Hurst Green, East Sussex County, District &/or Borough OS Grid Refs East Sussex County Council Geology Tunbridge Wells Sand Type of Fieldwork Eval Excav Watching Brief Standing Structure X Type of Site Green Field Shallow Urban X Deep Urban Other Dates of Fieldwork Eval Excav WB Other 30/1/10 – 16/11/10 TQ 73494 26738 Survey Other Sponsor/Client Mansell Construction Services Ltd Project Manager Chris Butler MIFA Project Supervisor Keith Butler PIFA Period Summary Palaeo Meso Neo BA AS MED PM X Other IA RB 100 Word Summary A Level Building Survey was carried out on the Victorian School and Head Master’s House at Hurst Green, East Sussex, prior to its demolition as part of the redevelopment of Hurst Green Primary School The survey revealed that the integral school and head masters house were built in 1862, with the kitchen extension added before 1898 The school was then unaltered until various additions were made between the 1950’s and 1980’s The original buildings represent a good example of a later 19th century school 39 ... 19 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 2: Hurst Green Primary School: Plan of School 20 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green. .. Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 13: Hurst Green Primary School: Roof plan of School 2004 (Adapted from drawing 2488/004) 31 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green. .. Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green Fig 5: Hurst Green Primary School: 3rd Edition OS Map 1908-9 23 Chris Butler Archaeological Services Hurst Green School, Hurst Green