Crail Airfield Dsr - Ra03005

Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey: Archaeological Monitoring

Data Structure Report 23rd May 2003

Rathmell Archaeology Ltd

Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Overview This Data Structure Report (DSR) presents the findings of a programme of archaeological monitoring undertaken in support of the inspection of Crail Airfield, Fife (NGR ref: N0 626 088) for contaminated land, as defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The main potential contaminants were assessed to be from the use of the site for ordnance and fuel storage. The military airfield at Crail was first built in 1918, although closed in 1919 as part of the demilitarisation after the Great War. The airfield was rebuilt as a Royal Naval Air Station in September 1939 and remained active as HMS Jackdaw until 1947. The base continued as HMS Bruce, a foreign language school, until 1958. The majority of Crail Airfield is a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the terms of the Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Areas Act 1979. All works were undertaken under the terms of issued Scheduled Monument Consent (AMH/6642/1/1) condition 3 of which required archaeological monitoring to the satisfaction of Mr Douglas Speirs, Fife Council. The main objective of the archaeological monitoring was to record the location, extent, nature, condition and significance of any archaeological features disturbed during the programme of ground testing. Rathmell Archaeology Ltd was appointed to act on behalf of Enviro Centre with regard to the archaeological aspects of the Scheduled Monument Consent. The terms of these works were agreed in advance with the Mr Douglas Speirs, Fife Council. The monitoring failed to identify any significant archaeological features within the areas exposed by the ground testing. Some defunct services probably associated with the 1939-47 use of the base were located as was portion of buried concrete slab.

Project Works The programme of works agreed with the Fife Council included a brief archaeological deskbased assessment and the monitoring of the test-pits and bore holes. These works were undertaken on-site from 12th May 2003 to 14th May 2003 inclusive. The test pits were all excavated by a JCB using a toothed bucket under direct archaeological supervision. Mr Chris Doonan of Fellowes International Ltd undertook remote ground testing, by magnetometer, for services and ordnance prior to excavation and also supervised the excavations. In keeping with SMC no test pit was located over existing hard surfaces. At maximum dimension the test pits were to be 1m by 3m in plan and up to 3m in depth. In practice the test pits rarely approached these dimensions, with a more common size being in the order of 0.5m by 2m in plan. The test pits were opened from a number of ground conditions: i. Managed grass – public space

TP 7, 8, 9, 11, 13 & 15

ii. Managed grass – pasture

TP 16, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

iii. Arable field margin or waste ground

TP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 17 & 27

iv. Arable field - spring barley

TP 12*, 14*, 24, 25, 26 & 28 (*rolled)

There were extensive and large volumes of litter across the rolled crop areas and the public spaces. The material on the airfield probably derives from a festival held at the airfield on the 11th May 2003, although the litter and debris around TP 9, 11 & 13 probably derives from the normal use of these car parks.

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

The boreholes, after the locations were cleared by remote sensing for ordnance and services, were driven from current ground surface. Consequently Mr Douglas Speirs, Fife Council, agreed that monitoring would not provide any significant benefit. All works were conducted in accordance with the Institute of Field Archaeology’s Standards and Policy Statements and Code of Conduct and Historic Scotland Policy Statements.

Findings: Desk based assessment A number of pre-military airfield sites were noted by the desk-based assessment (see Figure 1 and Appendix 1). These were predominantly farmstead or similar structures (Sites 1, 3 & 4) dating from at least the mid nineteenth century (Ordnance Survey 1855) that were presumably demolished during the forming of the 1918 aerodrome. Of greater note is the discovery at Kilminning Farm of a series of long cists associated with the foundations of a chapel (Site 2), inferred to be a dark age or early medieval church site. The full extent of this site is uncertain although the later nineteenth century farmstead to its immediate west (Site 3) may have removed or damaged the western elements of this site. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland have identified a pair of cropmark features (Site 5) that were interpreted as enclosures that had been truncated and overlain by two of the runways. A recent desk-based assessment in support of a development proposal for the airfield (Ellis 2000) identified from vertical aerial photography a number of similar features at the ends of other runways. Such a concordance between these features and the runways implies that they are features related to the construction of the military airfield. There are two main options for what these feature are, firstly they could be related to runway drainage or secondly they may be part of a pipe bomb runway denial system. The Military Airfield The military airfield at Crail was first built in 1918 by the firm Laing, opening in July, with the aerodrome used by the 27 Training Depot Station for fighter reconnaissance. The aerodrome closed in 1919 as part of demilitarisation after the Great War and lay dormant until the1939 when the reconstruction of the airfield was begun, creating a Royal Naval Air Station, HMS Jackdaw (Smith 1983). HMS Jackdaw came into service from October 1940 and did not close until 1947. The principal role of the base was for Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance training with practice torpedo dropping using the Firth of Forth. During its use many first-line squadrons were stationed at Crail for short periods. Some conflict is recorded with the airbase being the target for hostile bombing on 18 July 1940 (www.raf.mod.uk), prior to the completion of the base and with the record stating that no damage of importance was done. Luftwaffe reconnaissance photography of the airfield is also on record from June 1941. The Luftwaffe image shows the six hangers now removed from the main concentration of buildings as well as three squadron hangers near Kilminning. Remarkably there are also RAF aerial reconnaissance images from June 1941 that contrast with the Luftwaffe images to show differing details of the base (RCAHMS 2000, 33). The images also illustrate that the final flourit in extent of the base had not been realised by 1941. The base continued in use after 1947 after transferring to the Royal Navy as HMS Bruce (Smith 1983), a foreign language school using the domestic accommodation on-site. This base was also used for the billeting of troops being shipped to Korea before being wound up in 1958. St Andrews University Air Squadron used the airfield for a period of five years, between 1953 and1958, to free up space at RAF Leuchars. During this time the base received its first visit by a reigning monarch on 4th June 1957 when HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited the Air Squadron.  Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, Page 2 of 10

Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Figure 2: Test Pit Locations, as excavated, and pre-airfield archaeological sites  Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, Page 3 of 10

Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Figure 3a: Test Pit 26 cut through spring barley with narrow toothed bucket (Film 1, Neg 31).

Figure 3b: Test Pit 2 with pipe exposed in section against road (Film 1, Neg 2).

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Figure 4a: Test Pit 4 with edge of slab visible at depth in SW face (Film 1, Neg 4).

Figure 4b: Test Pit 14 cut through rolled spring barley with heavy littering visible (Film 1, Neg 16).

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Some civilian flying carried on until around 1966/67. On at least one occasion since, in March 1999, the military have re-used the base although in this case it was an Army training exercise that brought in military helicopters. Test Pit location sensitivity The Test Pits were located by Enviro Centre to provide a good spatial distribution and to investigate areas where specific contaminative processes are thought to have been undertaken. The Test Pits can be summarised as addressing three principal activity areas of the airfield: i. Buildings (inc. hangers)

TP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 13

ii. Petrol and Ordnance storage

TP 7, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, & 23

iii. Runways and aprons

TP 10, 12, 14, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

Of these twenty eight test pits a number are in proximity to some of the pre-military airfield archaeological sites: i. Kilminning Farm & Chapel (Nos. 2 & 3)

TP 11 & 27

ii. Sauchope Farm (No. 4)

TP 21 & 22

iii. Hollowflat Smithy (No. 1)

TP 6

iv. Putative Enclosures (No. 5)

TP 25 & 28

Findings: Test Pits Twenty eight test pits were opened across the eastern two-thirds of the military airfield, to the east of Balcomie Road. These findings are a synthesis of the findings from these test pits. The majority of the test-pits exhibited an apparently natural sequence of sediments, although the forming of the airfield presumably involved a significant amount of levelling out. The topsoil across the site was 250mm to 400mm in depth and, among areas where buildings stood, there were often fragments of brick and other construction materials. The natural subsoil varied between a medium orangey sand through a range clay deposits, all of which usually overlay a shale bedrock. Services Apparently defunct drains were encountered by TP 6 and the initial trial location for TP 3 (the test pit was shuffled to avoid this drain). A pipe was exposed running at depth and parallel to the internal road in TP 2 (see Figure 3b). A defunct electrical wire within the topsoil was cut by TP 5, the line of the wire either runs towards the runways of the site of the former squadron hangers around TP 9, 11 & 13. A modern plastic pipe was exposed by TP 16, this is probably a spur water pipe running to the modern farm buildings adjacent to TP 18. Concrete Slab The edge of a concrete slab was clipped in the west face of TP4 at a depth of some 1.2m below current ground surface (see Figure 4a). The thickness of the slab could not be determined as it resisted the JCB bucket. Embankments Three of the test pits were cut into embanked material. The embankment at TP 8 is clearly modern containing modern cable protection tiles. Two more test pits, TP 9 &13 were excavated into embanked material on the former site of the squadron hangers at Kilminning. This area is now a public picnic and car park, while the embanked material is suggestive of military airfield blast pens. The test pits showed the embankments to be comprised of rubble including bitumen and other construction debris.  Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, Page 6 of 10

Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Steel Mesh While no steel mesh was exposed by any test pit, there were visible areas of lifted steel mesh and wire in the vicinity of TP 18, 21 & 22 around the site of Sauchope Farm

Discussion The test pits only exposed material that appeared to be related to the military use of the site. The services, although previously unknown on these locations, appear to be defunct and derelict. The concrete slab located within Trench 4 is of uncertain origin, certainly the excavation was too small to allow inference as to function or association. That the concrete was level slab and was at depth relative to the surrounding 1939-47 surfaces may suggest that it is either an extensive foundation raft for nearby structures or is a hint of surviving elements of the 1918-19 aerodrome. The latter option is probably the less likely. The embankments where investigated appear to be mounded material with no consistent structure. The embankment at TP 8 is clearly modern, perhaps built to screen the recycling and waste collection point to the immediate east. The embanked features that resemble merged together blast pens at Kilminning do not appear to match any military airfield recorded features and are not visible on the 1941 reconnaissance photography. They may have been constructed from the demolition debris from the hangers, buildings and hard surfaces that originally covered this area. The steel mesh noted around the site of Sauchope Farm was probably laid to reinforce the grass surfaces during the military use of the site. This portion of the airfield was used for fuel and ordnance storage, and hence loading, so there was presumably a need for areas of firm standing away from the runways and circulating taxiways.

Conclusion The archaeological monitoring failed to identify any significant archaeological features or recover artefacts from the test pits excavated during the ground testing. A number of minor elements relating to the fabric of the military airfield were noted, but these were substantially unaffected by these works. Consequently we would suggest that the only appropriate further stage of work would be the archiving of site records.

References Ellis, C

2000

Crail Airfield, Desk-Based Assessment

Ordnance Survey

1855-57

Fife

RCAHMS

1999

Catalogue of the Luftwaffe Photographs in the National Monuments Record of Scotland

RCAHMS

2000

Catalogue of the RAF World War II Photographs in the National Monuments Record of Scotland

Smith, D

1983

Action Stations 7, Cambridge

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Appendix 1: Archaeological Sites Pre-Military Airfield Archaeological Sites No. FSMR No. NMRS No. Description

Source

1

‘-

Hollowflat Smithy – House and enclosed garden dating from at least the 1855.

OS 1855

2

FF8147

Kilmmining Chapel – Recorded site for the recovery of a large number of long cists and the foundations of a rectangular structure interpreted as an early church.

OS 1855; FSMR

3

‘-

‘-

Kilmmining Farm – Nineteenth century steading and farmhouse.

OS 1855

4

‘-

‘-

Sauchope Farm - Nineteenth century steading and farmhouse.

OS 1855

5

FF8452

Crail Airfield Enclosure - a pair of cropmark features interpreted as recti-linear enclosures that had been truncated and overlain by two of the runways.

NMRS

‘NO60NW08

NO60NW32

Appendix 2: Record summaries Drawing Record No formal drawings were made. Photographic Record Film No. Description

From

Date

1

1

TP 1 general view with staff around

WSW

12/5

1

2

TP 2 detail, metal pipe visible in section

SE

12/5

1

3

TP 3 general view, with initial attempt visible in background

S

12/5

1

4

TP 4 detail, with slab visible in section

NE

12/5

1

5

TP 5 detail, with broken defunct cable visible

NE

12/5

1

6

TP 6 detail

E

12/5

1

7

TP 7 general view

SE

12/5

1

8

TP 8 detail, disposed cable cover tiles visible

NW

12/5

1

9

TP 8 general view

N

12/5

1

10

TP 9 general view, Chris Doonan monitoring

N

12/5

1

11

TP 10 detail

S

12/5

1

12

TP 11 detail

W

12/5

1

13

TP 12 detail

W

12/5

1

14

TP 13 detail

W

13/5

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

1

15

TP 14 detail

SE

13/5

1

16

TP 14 general

SE

13/5

1

17

Naval Control Tower

S

13/5

1

18

TP 15 general

E

13/5

1

19

TP 15 after filling in

E

13/5

1

20

TP 16 detail

NE

13/5

1

21

TP 17 detail

S

13/5

1

22

TP 18 general

W

13/5

1

23

TP 19 detail

SW

13/5

1

24

TP 20 detail

N

13/5

1

25

TP 21 detail

N

14/5

1

26

TP 22 detail

NW

14/5

1

27

TP 23 general

N

14/5

1

28

TP 24 general

W

14/5

1

29

TP 25 general

NE

14/5

1

30

TP 26 detail

NW

14/5

1

31

TP 26 general

NW

14/5

1

32

TP 27 detail

W

14/5

1

33

TP 28 detail

N

14/5

Samples List No samples were made. Artefacts List No artefacts were recovered.

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Data Structure Report – Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey

Appendix 3: Discovery & Excavation in Scotland LOCAL AUTHORITY: PROJECT TITLE/SITE NAME: PARISH: NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR: NAME OF ORGANISATION: TYPE(S) OF PROJECT: NMRS NO(S): SITE/MONUMENT TYPE(S): SIGNIFICANT FINDS:+ NGR (2 letters, 6 figures) START DATE (this season) END DATE (this season) PREVIOUS WORK (incl. DES ref.) PROPOSED FUTURE WORK: MAIN (NARRATIVE) DESCRIPTION: (may include information from other fields) PROJECT CODE: SPONSOR OR FUNDING BODY: ADDRESS OF MAIN CONTRIBUTOR: E MAIL: ARCHIVE LOCATION (intended/deposited)

Fife Crail Airfield Contaminated Land Survey Crail Thomas Rees Rathmell Archaeology Limited Watching Brief NO60NW49; NO60NW32 Military Airfield; Enclosures None NO 626 088 12th May 2003 14th May 2003 None None A programme of archaeological monitoring undertaken in support of ground testing for ground contaminants at Crail Airfield, Fife. All works were undertaken under terms of SMC, avoiding standing structures and hard surfaces. No significant artefacts or structures were found during these works. 03005 Enviro Centre 8, Underwood, Kilwinning, Ayrshire KA13 7HR [email protected] Report to Fife Council & Historic Scotland and archive to National Monuments Record of Scotland.

Contact Details Rathmell Archaeology can be contacted at its Registered Office or through the web: Rathmell Archaeology Ltd 8, Underwood Kilwinning Ayrshire KA13 7HR www.rathmell-arch.co.uk t.: m.:

01294 542848 07817 334907

f.: e.:

01294 542849 [email protected]

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