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PART OF THE HS2 HISTORIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROJECT The village earthworks were included in the society's
An L-shaped field to the east of the church (A) and north of St Mary's House (B) contains earthworks. These cover the whole area right up to the fence that borders the disused line of the former Grand Central Railway (C) – which at this point is the exact line of the proposed HS2 rail line. A BAS appraisal of the earthworks on 21 March 2011 noted a large rectangular enclosure with a well-defined ditch. St Mary's House would sit within this enclosure, suggesting that this marks the manorial centre of the medieval village. The other earthworks would indicate surrounding cottages, now long-deserted. The danger from HS2 is that any ‘mitigation’ works such as high banks, fences or tree-planting between the line and the village would destroy the earthworks of this medieval manorial centre. [but see Note below] UPDATE - January 2012 For full details and recommendations, see: AERIAL PHOTO BY MIKE FARLEY
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