Archaeological Assessment of Wood End Farm, Sutton Road, Walsall

An archaeological assessment was carried out in April 2004 in advance of redevelopment proposals for land at Wood End Farm, Walsall. The work was commissioned by Friel Homes, and was undertaken by Birmingham Archaeology. The Study Area is adjacent to a medieval moated site (BCSMR 2647), and the remains of strip fields survive in the surrounding area. Cartographic research revealed that the moat platform had been abandoned by 1819, and the focus of the new farm had shifted eastwards into the Study Area. Several early post- medieval buildings were depicted on Estate Maps, lying within the proposed development area, and a programme of trial trenching recommended to locate these structures, as well as the original line of the turnpike road. The Study Area is currently occupied by a farmhouse (dated to 1836, BCSMR 10269) and contemporary and later ancillary structures. These standing buildings were also assessed, however no further building recording was recommended as much better preserved examples, of farm buildings and complete complexes, of this period survive around Walsall and the region in general.