Surrey County Council

72-74 High Street, Guildford

Observation by D G Bird for SCC of refurbishment of medieval undercroft as tourist centre. The floor and steps from the street were carefully cleaned with the assistance of the Guildford Group of SyAS. The steps were shown to be much repaired but with an apparently original core; they survived best through the entrance where unfortunately they had to be removed except for a few centimetres to mark the original line. The floor was apparently of brick (probably to be dated to the 17th century) over the natural chalk; there was no sign of a medieval floor.

Starborough Castle, Lingfield

A watching brief by D Saich of SCC on the construction of new stables revealed a very truncated pit or ditch densely packed with brick, tile, animal bone, oyster shells and occasional pieces of glass. The handmade bricks and flat tiles suggest they may date as early as the 16th century. (304)

Reigate Heath

Historic landscape survey of the heath by N Bannister for Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and the Reigate & Banstead Archaeological Co-ordination Committee. Apart from the remains of the known barrows, another possible barrow was identified, as well as two former tree clumps, which might originally have been sited on mounds (possibly barrows). The remainder of the earthworks identified largely consist of holloways, quarries and former ponds. Areas formerly wet heath were found to have dried out, leading to a potential loss of palaeo-environmental evidence.

Box Hill Estate

Historic landscape survey by N Bannister, for the National Trust, of its Box Hill estate. The oldest boundaries on the estate are thought to be those bounding the old trackways, such as along Box Hill Road. The shaws dividing the woodland/downland from the fields are also probably medieval in origin. The present woodland reflects the change from traditional wood pasture mixed with sheep walks to amenity woodland in the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest trees present on the estate are the large leafed limes at the bottom of the Whites, which have been coppiced.

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