Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

84A number of high stone boundary walls make a minor, but significantcontribution to the character of the village centre.OPEN SPACEThere is no green, common or public open space of any historical significancewithin the village perimeter. A small recreation ground to the Eof the church lies within what was originally a small close.Within the curve of the village streets running E to the mill and Stowards the George and Star Inns lies an expanse of grass fields crossed byone of the small streams rising in the village and feeding the mill stream.These fields are visually important in creating an attractive open viewfrom the churchyard. Historically this gap in the present settlement nucleuscould be important: while there is no direct evidence in that partof the field closest to the present village to suggest that it has.been occupiedby buildings in recent times, there is a possibility that the vacantpart of the street frontage could produce archaeological evidence of medievalor Saxon occupation.EARTHWORKSThere are no areas of clear croft earthworks or house platforms tosuggest that the village has contracted at all within its medieval perimeter.There is some evidence, both from general topography and from slightearthworks on the ground, to suggest that an abandoned road formerly crossedthe fields SE of the church, between the dog-leg in the road E of the milland the cul-de-sac near the Courtfield council estate. Its general courseis fossilised by a footpath shown on the O.S. 1:10,000 map, although thisnow appears to be little used. Estate maps suggest that this road hadceased to exist by the C18th.Traces of ride and furrow, which probably represent the remains ofpart of the medieval field system of Stanton St. John, can be identified inpart of one field beyond the stream to the SE of the village. Apart fromthis, no ridge and furrow survives at any point around the immediate villageperimeter.The courses of the two small streams rising in the village both showsigns of modification. That crossing the field to the SE appears to havebeen straightened, and has two sharp angles to the S of the Silver Birchesestate above the mill. The date and purpose of this alteration is notclear - there is no evidence for a fishpond or earlier mill site. Theother stream to the N of the village centre has been landscaped througha series of small ponds and waterfalls S of Stanton House.A depression in the close NW of the Star Inn adjacent to the B.4027,now partly infilled, appears to be a former stonepit.INDUSTRIAL FEATURESWater-mill:see above.Smithy(PRN 11,111) in one of the long closes between the main B.4027and village street S of the church, shown on the 1923 O.S. 1:10,560 ? nowdemolished.