Information for record number MWA2594:
Roman Settlement at Glasshouse Wood

Summary A Roman enclosure or platform, visible as an earthwork, was recorded during fieldwork. Trial trenches revealed the remains of a Roman building and a cremation burial suggesting that this is the site of a Roman settlement. It is situated at Glasshouse Wood.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Burial, Cremation, Building, Enclosure
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Ashow
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 71
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Discovered during fieldwork on the line of the Kenilworth Bypass. The site consisted of a possible field system and a house platform, or enclosure, on the edge of Glasshouse Wood. Exploratory excavations were undertaken involving the digging of a number of small trenches. trench II was dug on the site of an extensive scatter of pot and tile and revealed a cremation burial dated by a coin of Nero (68 AD). This was sealed by a layer of pottery and tegulae. trench IV revealed a stone and gravel platform just outside the enclosure. trench VIII revealed two rooms of a stone building with quantities of 3rd century to 4th century pottery. The building evidently had a tile roof. trenches IX and XII revealed ditches and slots of 1st to 4th century date.
3 Scheduling record.
5 Scheduling information.
6 Ten stamped Roman roof tiles found in 1989. Grid reference given of SP 311 715, and method of collection as "surface finds".
7 List of finds.
8 Memo from 1971 about Romano-British occupation debris.
9 Correspondence with the public from 1971-2.
10 Correspondence from 1978 about a pipe trench across the site.
11 Correspondence about possible damage to the site.
12 Correspondence about informing the new owners of stoneleigh Estate about the Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
13 Within the portion of Glasshouse Wood, west of the A46, a BMX/mountain bike track appears to have been constructed relatively recently, close to the public footpath, which has involved excavations to create a series of ramps and pits. This has led to the disturbance of dark, possibly burnt, areas of soil in two areas, though no indication was observed for the date or origin of these deposits. A gas pipeline also appears to run through the scheduled area in a north-east to south-west direction. This is marked by a series of marker poles some 2.7m high. These appear to be relatively recent, though no obvious disturbance is visible on the ground surface and it may be that the pipeline may be older than the markers. The possible association of the settlement site with a field system, though not proven, currently (2014) makes this site unique within Warwickshire.
14 The Scheduled Monument area of Glasshouse Wood has now been revised to exclude the area of the cricket club's grassed area on the western side of the dual carriageway. The remainder of the area is still scheduled and retains its significance for the Roman period field system and other earthworks.
 
Sources
Source No: 13
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Thickthorn (South-east Kenilworth) Strategic Allocations: Historic Environment Appraisal
Author/originator: Parkhouse, J
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1498
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator:
Date: 1971-2
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator: WM, EH et al.
Date: 1986-8
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 12
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Note
Title: Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator: Webster, G
Date: 1971
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: Willacy E and Wallwork R
Date: 1976
Page Number: Fig 3
Volume/Sheet: 88
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 46SE10
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1974
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 46SE10
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: various
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Roman Settlement at Glasshouse Wood
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1972-3
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Glasshouse Wood Finds at Warwick Museum
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Roman roof tiles found near Glasshouse Wood.
Author/originator: P.Wise
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 14
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Personal Comment
Author/originator: Keith Elliott
Date: 2016
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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technique Trial Trench A small regular hole that is usually square or rectangular in shape. Archaeologists dig trial trenches to discover if there are any archaeological remains at a particular location. See also excavation. back
period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument CREMATION * A funeral rite in which the human body is burnt, usually on a pyre, leaving fragmentary charred or completely combusted remains. Often found buried, occasionally in a container associated with grave goods. back
monument FIELDWORK * A usually temporary earthwork or fortification, the latter constructed by military forces operating in the field. Use more specific type where known. back
monument LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument CREMATION BURIAL * The site of the formal burial of cremated bone, sometimes 'urned' in a vessel or casket of glass, wood or, more commonly, ceramic. back
monument CLUB * A building used by an association of persons for social and recreational purposes or for the promotion of some common object. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument RAMP * An inclined plane connecting two different levels, used to accomodate the movement of vehicles, wheeled apparatus,livestock etc. back
monument GLASSHOUSE * A building made chiefly of glass, used to grow plants and fruit in. Use more specific type where possible. back
monument CARRIAGEWAY * The part of a road intended for vehicular traffic. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MUSEUM * A building, group of buildings or space within a building, where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artefacts are housed and displayed. back
monument FIELD SYSTEM * A group or complex of fields which appear to form a coherent whole. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. back
monument FOOTPATH * A path for pedestrians only. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record