Re: 61 Appin Road Archaeological Programme: Progress Statement 2. If you require more information please call me at any time.

Transcription

1 63 Hannah Street Beecroft NSW 2119 M: P/F: E: NSW Heritage Division Locked Bag 5020 Parramatta. NSW October 2016 Attention: Ms Rebecca Newell Re: 61 Appin Road Archaeological Programme: Progress Statement 2 Attached is a progress statement concerning the works carried out in the land immediately adjoining the site of the Appin Inn. This is the land that is the subject of the s139 (4) approval (ref File SF 16/45439). This refers to the unexpected find that our client Walker informed you of via a Notification of a Relic s146 form on 17 October This report fulfils the requirement to provide you with a summary of the excavation. If you require more information please call me at any time. Regards Wendy Thorp

2 PROGRESS STATEMENT 2 APPIN INN 61 APPIN ROAD, APPIN Unexpected Find on Adjoining Lot AUGUST

3 1 Context The Appin Inn, at 61 Appin Road, is currently undergoing restoration and archaeological works have been initiated for this place. These works are the subject of an s140 excavation Permit. A progress report (No. 1) has been submitted on the excavation of sub-floor areas in the buildings on that site. The inn has a long but not well-documented history of use and development. An outline of this history and associations was provided in the Progress report (1). There is the potential for the building to have been first built as a private residence for Andrew Byrne. It was certainly in use as an inn during the 1830s and possibly earlier. It continued in use as hotel up to the early years of the twentieth century when it became a guest house. The original house/inn was part of a sixty-acre grant. Apart from the inn there were many improvements some added later in the nineteenth century, although the date of most is unclear. They included a kitchen, a large loft with stables, barn, coach house, an assembly hall, a handball court, stockyards, fowl houses, piggeries, garden and four paddocks. The location of most of these improvements is unknown; plans of the place before 1850 show very substantial buildings to the north and west. At this time there are no known plans of the site in the later nineteenth century. Detail of plan showing several buildings on the site of the inn (Source: NLA Ferguson Collection MAP 4 787) By the early years of the twentieth century the area of the property had been considerably reduced although the date at which the land to the west was subdivided to form the present allotment is unknown. This separate allotment on the western boundary of the inn is being redeveloped for housing. The initial clearance that was commenced in October 2016 revealed adjoining the boundary with the inn what appeared to be sandstone foundation just below the ground surface. It was most likely that these foundations related to the development of the inn. Work in the area ceased and temporary fencing was installed to safeguard the relics. The Heritage Division was informed by means of an s146 Notification of Relic form. Subsequently an s139 application was made and approved to carry out works that would more accurately identify the nature of this relic to allow for an informed decision to be made with respect to its ongoing management. 3

4 2. Objectives and Tasks The objectives of the small programme of work detailed in the application were are as follows: To identify the extent of the relic and determine whether there were associated features; plans of the site from the 1830s show a small building on the western side of what is likely to be the structure partly revealed To acquire sufficient information to date it and determine a possible use and association To determine how it will be impacted by the road works for the residential development To identify the best future management for this relic To achieve these outcomes the following tasks were undertaken: The surface of the foundation that had been revealed by the initial scraping was uncovered The ground immediately surrounding it was cleared of the grass cover to determine if other structures were apparent Excavation on one side (eastern) was undertaken to determine the depth and nature of the foundations as a means of comparing them with those tested by sondage in the main building Two test pits were excavated to determine the extent of obvious impacts to the structure and ground at the northern end and establish a date for the initial period of disturbance to this structure All features revealed by the work were planned and surveyed and photographed and a field inventory of induvial archaeological units was created 3. Description The following observation were made of the features and deposits revealed by this work: The relic exposed by the initial scraping has an extent length of approximately six metres. It is approximately mm wide. The last metre of this length, at the northern end has been robbed out but the infilled trench is visible The full extent of the former foundation at this northern end is unknown but certainly extended beyond the visible length. It has been cut through here by a deep excavation At the southern end of the wall foundation there is a small fragment of a wall that returned off the main foundation to the east. Less than a metre of this second wall foundation survives and the rest, including the trench, has been removed by later works The intact foundations have been constructed by excavating a small trench into the underlying clay approximately the same width as the foundation. It was very shallow. The foundation is made by placing large pieces of irregular sandstone rubble into this trench. There was no bonding medium. Approximately two courses remain. The fragmentary second wall is constructed in the same manner 4

5 The evidence from the artefacts taken from the sondage that was placed in the robbed out section of the wall date to c , giving an approximate date for when the demolition of this building occurred The deposits surrounding this feature indicate two distinct periods of change; the first is likely to have been at the same time that the building was demolished. It appears that the ground around and within the building was scraped to below the level of the foundation removing most of the walls and trenches and any deposits that may have been inside this structure. The small amount of earth that was left around the remnant foundation included extremely small pieces of early nineteenth century brick and smashed stone. A second period of extensive disturbance is evidenced by an extremely compacted layer of clay and ironstone laid over most of the site. This infills the excavation at the northern end of the site. The sandstone revealed by the initial scraping; scale 1 metre (Source: Kayandal) 5

6 The excavation area at the commencement of work; the light coloured features are the surface of the wall foundation shown in the preceding image: scale 2 metres (Source: CRM 2016) The wall foundation revealed and, in the foreground, the continuation of its line in a robbed out trench; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) 6

7 The length of the intact foundation; scale 1 metre (Source: CRM 2016) Detail of the wall structure and the junction with the remnant of the return wall to the east; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) 7

8 Sondage in the robbed out section of the wall trench showing the shallow excavation and some of the remnant debris placed there when the wall was removed; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) Sondage at the northern end of the excavation area in the line of the robbed out wall showing the extent of excavation and back fill with clay and gravel during the second period of clearance; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) 8

9 4. Additional The investigative programme undertaken and described in this report encompasses approximately half of the ground that is protected behind the temporary fencing. At the conclusion of the work during the clean-up we found separated by approximately a metre what appears to be an extension of this foundation that had not been revealed by the initial scraping in this area. It is still covered by the loose soil and grass but with the line of the foundation revealed by the excavation it was possible to trace what appears to be several more metres of this wall extending south from the portion now revealed. This was not encompassed within the s139 permit, and while the work to uncover it would be the same as that undertaken to date the programme was not extended until the position is made clear with respect to additional work under the existing permit (refer Section 6). 5. Conclusions On the basis of the evidence revealed at this time the following may be concluded: The foundation of this building is the same in all details as those revealed by test trenches in the inn; it is of the same period of construction likely to be c The scale of this building (including the likely extent that is still covered by soil) suggests that it could be a stables or a barn associated either with Byrne or the first inn. This is most likely the very large building recorded on the 1833 plan reproduced earlier in this report. No evidence was found of the small building that is attached to the western wall, shown on this same plan, but with the evidence that the building extends further south the site of this building is likely to be within the unexcavated area The eastern extent of the building is likely to be within the inn boundary; no evidence could be found west of the exposed foundation and the small return of wall that remains is on the eastern side of that foundation This return of wall was originally thought to be the southern end of the building but now that the foundation can be seen to extend further south it is most likely that this represents an internal wall or possibly a door; there is a gap between this and the unexcavated portion of wall. This could also be a section of robbed out wall; it will not be clear until more intensive excavation is carried out. This building appears to have been demolished between 1900 and 1920 based on the artefacts recovered from the robbed out section of the trench. It is suggested at this time that the most likely date is 1919 when the addition was made to the main inn. Possibly stone was used from the older building in its construction; our initial assessment of this extension was that it had been built from older material brought to the site or recycled from it for this work. The extent of demolition at this time, c.1919, involved extensive scraping around what remained of the foundations. This removed more than half a metre of earth and any deposits within the building as well as trenching and some of the foundations associated with this building A second period of disturbance has led to the removal of the northern end of the building and has deposited a large amount of extremely compacted clay over a large part of the site. It is assumed that this was done in the mid-later twentieth century and may be associated with the subdivision of the site as it now exists. 9

10 6. Discussion The excavation has achieved the objectives established for the programme, however, the principal issue remains that more of this building exists and needs to be uncovered to enable a complete record to remain. As this was not encompassed within the existing Section 139 permit any further work needs to be resolved with respect to whether it can be undertaken as an extension of the existing permit or whether application is required for an s140 permit. Secondly, the question of future management was to be addressed by this work. Apart from any issues of position in relation to the new road it is clear that the construction used in this foundation is very unstable. It would be difficult to conserve and is highly vulnerable to vandalism. Our initial recommendation would be for detailed recording, the evidence to be included for the final report that will be produced for all works associated with this site and the position to be interpreted either in situ and/or as part of an overall programme of site interpretation to be developed for it. Therefore the outstanding issues to be resolved are: The appropriate permit required to complete this work (existing s139 or an s140 excavation permit) Long-term management options Foundations in Room 1 of the main inn from the original building showing the similarities to those recorded in the trench in the s139 area; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) Wendy Thorp Cultural resources Management October

11 63 Hannah Street Beecroft NSW 2119 M: P/F: E: NSW Heritage Division Locked Bag 5020 Parramatta. NSW November 2016 Attention: Ms Rebecca Newell Re: 61 Appin Road Archaeological Programme: Progress Statement 3 Attached is a progress statement concerning the works carried out in the land immediately adjoining the site of the Appin Inn. This is the land that is the subject of the s139 (4) approval (ref File SF 16/45439). This refers to the unexpected find that our client Walker informed you of via a Notification of a Relic s146 form on 17 October This report describes the works carried out to complete the investigation and assessment of this area. If you require more information please call me at any time. Regards Wendy Thorp

12 PROGRESS STATEMENT 3 APPIN INN 61 APPIN ROAD, APPIN Unexpected Find on Adjoining Lot Southern Section NOVEMBER

13 1 Context The Appin Inn, at 61 Appin Road, is currently undergoing restoration and archaeological works have been initiated for this place. These works are the subject of an s140 excavation Permit. A progress report (No. 1) has been submitted on the excavation of sub-floor areas in the buildings on that site. A second progress report was presented on the initial excavation of a wall foundation uncovered in the adjoining lot to the inn. This was the subject of an s139 testing permit. The present report discusses the finalisation of works in that area. As detailed in the earlier reports the inn has a long but not well-documented history of use and development. It may have been built as early as 1819 and was in use throughout the nineteenth century as an inn/hotel. In the early years of the twentieth century it became a guest house. The limited documentation for the site describes many improvements around the original inn including a coach house, stables and gardens and paddocks. The locations of most of these improvements are unknown; plans of the place before 1850 show very substantial buildings to the north and west. At this time there are no known plans of the site in the later nineteenth century. The foundation investigated under the provisions of the s139 permit is almost certainly the large buildings recorded on a plan of shown below. Detail of plan showing several buildings on the site of the inn; the arrow indicates the building that has been partly uncovered by the present work (Source: NLA Ferguson Collection MAP 4 787) 2. Objectives and Tasks The objectives of the small programme of work detailed in the application were are as follows: To identify the extent of the relic and determine whether there were associated features; To acquire sufficient information to date it and determine a possible use and association To determine how it will be impacted by the road works for the residential development 3

14 To identify the best future management for this relic In the first programme of testing the northern half of the area under investigation was excavated and the extent of the feature in this area was determined by this work. The second programme of investigation has uncovered the southern portion of the building, or what remains of it. The same tasks undertaken for the northern portion of the investigation area were implemented for the southern half being: The surface deposit of grass and loose soil was removed to determine the extent of the foundation partially uncovered in the earlier investigation and this work was extended to identify the presence of other features in close proximity to the foundation All features revealed by the work were planned and surveyed and photographed and a field inventory of individual archaeological units was created 3. Description The following observation were made of the features and deposits revealed by this second phase of work: The gap in stonework at the southern end of the foundation exposed to date is now identified as a door space The foundation of a wall that extended the line of this building further south was revealed although it had been almost completely destroyed after two metres; fragments of stone and part of the trench were found at six metres. Although fragmentary the foundation was certainly the same construction as the northern wall and is part of the same building. In this trench where the stones had been removed timber rails were exposed along part of its length At the northern end of the wall foundation there are small fragments of stone that seem to correspond to the stone return wall recorded at the northern half of the building. The two elements indicate internal walls that would have created a corridor in the centre of the building leading to the door that gave access to the western side of this building. To the east of this foundation is a substantial portion of sandstone flagging that must have been the floor in this part of the building. Darker soil on the western side shows where some of the slabs have been removed in the past running up to the wall foundation. The flagging may have been used in the northern half but, as detailed in Progress Report 2, all of the internal space of this part of the building had been removed in c The flagging continues east into the curtilage of the inn and the eastern wall of this building (or the site of this wall) must also lie within this property. This has not been excavated. There was no evidence of any other structural features around the southern part of this large and long building, however, the ground had been thoroughly disturbed and dug over possibly twice. This was the same pattern of disturbance recorded in the first testing programme. The only other feature recorded in this southern portion was the base of a large tree stump that had been cut to the ground leaving the roots still in the clay. This was a large tree but the removal seems to have been recent. 4

15 View north across the area of investigation prior to excavation; the first area of investigation is in the background (Source: CRM 2016) The fragmentary western wall from the southern half of the building; the full width of the trench can be seen as the darker soil and fragments of stone foundations and timber rails are exposed; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) 5

16 Another view of the fragmentary western wall foundation; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) Looking north along the full line of the foundations exposed in Area 1 and Area 2 of the investigation; the gap for the door is evident (red arrow); scale 2 metres (Source: CRM 2016) 6

17 View along the intact foundation; the red arrow marks the position of the fragmentary wall foundation and the blue arrow the remnant sandstone paving; scale 2 metres (Source: CRM 2016) Sandstone floor in relation to the wall foundations; the darker area on the left is where flagging has been removed in the past; scale 2 metres (Source: CRM 2016) 7

18 Closer view of the sandstone flagging; scale 2 metres (Source: CRM 2016) The base of a large tree removed from the site on the western side of the building; scale 500mm (Source: CRM 2016) 8

19 4. Conclusions On the basis of the evidence revealed at this time the following may be concluded: The foundation revealed in this second area of investigation is a continuation of the same building recorded in the first investigation. This was estimated on construction details to date to c The building was more than twelve metres in length and more than four metres wide; the eastern side of the structure has not been found because it is within the curtilage of the inn and both northern and southern ends have been destroyed by later work The scale of this building (including the likely extent that is still covered by soil) suggests that it could be a stables or a barn associated either with Byrne or the first inn. This is most likely the very large building recorded on the 1833 plan reproduced earlier in this report. No evidence was found of the small building that is attached to the western wall, shown on this same plan; the western side of the building has been completely destroyed with respect to features and stratigraphy by at least two periods of demolition and excavation in the twentieth century The evidence recovered from this first period of excavation indicates that the building was demolished between 1900 and 1920 based on the artefacts recovered from the robbed out section of the trench. The extent of the removal of deposits recorded in the northern part of the building has not extended entirely into the southern half. The remnant paving indicates that further evidence of this building is likely to be preserved within the curtilage of the inn. 6. Discussion Nothing more can be gained from further excavation in this area. We are now geo-referencing this evidence to the current property boundaries. This information will be used to determine the impacts of the proposed road reserve and recommendations for management of this evidence will be presented for discussion. Wendy Thorp Cultural resources Management October