| Date | 3 February 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0015 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Monumental past buried
Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann
NOT many people will be aware that Slough has a number of archaeological monuments which have been scheduled as being of national importance. In the first of two articles, we will look at two of these important monuments.
The first of these lies in a field in front of the Asda supermarket in Cippenham.
At first glance it looks like an ordinary field laid down as pasture.
As one walks through it, the ground starts to undulate, and deep ditches start to emerge.
This is the remains of a moat which surrounds a central island, which once held a palace or royal manor house built in c.1285 by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, who was also responsible for the construction of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall.
The palace was entered by a causeway to the west. Within the central island there are the remains of earthworks which have been interpreted as walls of a substantial building.
So what brought Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to Slough? Richard was involved in war in France in the 1230s and vowed that if he was successful he would found a monastery to celebrate his victory and give thanks to God.
In 1266 he founded an abbey at Burnham which still survives to this day.
The abbey was richly endowed with the manors of Burnham, Cippenham, Stoke, Bulstrode, and some smaller estates.
He built a palace at Cippenham prior to the construction of Burnham Abbey so that he could personally oversee the work there.
The Abbey remained until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1535. It was probably at this time that the moated manor house was pulled down and was never rebuilt.
Over the years it slowly became used to graze livestock.
Evidence of farming at the moated site is found in a large deep silage pit which cuts right across the area.
In the 1970s and 1980s it was used to dump rubbish, such as bits of old cars. The site was later purchased by Slough Borough Council, who have maintained it ever since.
See next week’s Observer for part two of Elias’s archaeological monuments findings.
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