Archaeological Desk Based Assessment The Lodge, Chesterfield Hill, Mayfair, City of Westminster, W1J 5BS

Border Archaeology (BA) was instructed by Egan Lucocq Ltd on behalf of Al Salam UK Property Investments Ltd to produce an Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (ADBA) for The Lodge, Chesterfield Hill, Mayfair, City of Westminster, W1J 5BS in connection with the proposed redevelopment of the property which will see the existing footprint of sub-basement extended to match that of the current basement level. This ADBA assesses the impact of the proposed development on buried heritage assets (archaeological remains) and forms an initial stage of investigation of the proposed development site and may be required in relation to the planning process, so that the local planning authority can formulate an appropriate response in the light of the impact upon any known or potential heritage assets, defined as parts of the historic environment considered significant because of their historic, evidential or aesthetic and/or communal interest. Full details of the groundworks required for the proposed development were unavailable at the time of writing. The proposed development entails the redevelopment of the property which will include extending the footprint of the sub-basement in line with the size of the overlying basement level. Archaeological excavation during the ground reduction of the basement level to form the current sub-basement in 2009 established the presence of post-medieval archaeological deposits, in moderate to good condition of survival. Eighteenth century structural remains associated with the earliest building within the site were identified and included brick walls and a floor surface of a cellar/storage area with steps leading down from street level from an entrance on Chesterfield Hill (recorded between 16.74mOD and 16.69mOD) and drainage associated with the original building (the top of the structure recorded at 16.83m OD) within the footprint of The Lodge. Post-Medieval made ground (the top of the deposit recorded at 17.02m OD) truncated by modern wall foundations (tops of walls recorded between 17.62mOD and 16.99mOD) overlying the natural brickearth were recorded within the footprint of 31 Hays Mews. The natural brickearth deposits encountered appear to have been truncated down to the underlying deposits of London Clay (identified at 16.27m OD/2.6m below ground level) within the excavated area of The Lodge, with the survival of brickearth deposits (at 17.32m OD/1.5m below current ground level) overlying the natural London Clay Formation within the footprint of 31 Hays Mews. The proposed plans relating to the sub-basement will only disturb deposits below a depth of c.14.30m OD, the FFL of the current basement level and to a depth of c. 10.65m OD, the FFL of the current sub-basement level. The ground reduction for the sub-basement extension will fall within the established depth of the natural London Clay Formation though there remains some potential to encounter parts of the Lynch Hill Gravels. The proposed plans do not involve extending the depth of the existing sub-basement. Overall Conclusions The archaeological potential of the site has been assessed in overall terms as Low, based principally on the depths of archaeology encountered during ground reduction for the basement level and the depths to which the sub-basement extension will be excavated - which will fall within the known level of the London Clay Formation. Recommendations: Based on the above assessment, it is Border Archaeology's considered opinion that, prima facie, the archaeological potential of the site does not present an impediment to the proposed development.