Pippa Middleton’s ambitious plans to spruce up her Barton Court estate are literally hitting a stone wall and by stone, we mean thousands of years old.
Archaeologists have warned that the proposed renovations could disrupt prehistoric remains hidden beneath the grounds of the £15million country house.
The Middleton Matthews duo have submitted planning applications to build a greenhouse, stables and garden room, as well as other extensions.
But experts brought in to evaluate the site have flagged the risk of discovering relics from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, medieval and post-medieval periods.
Heritage Planning Services (HPS), the archeology consultancy, told West Berkshire Council that the property is in an area rich in ancient human activity, with flint tools and evidence of early hunter-gatherer camps discovered in the Kennet Valley.
“Mesolithic remains are known from scattered flints and semi-permanent sites in the area, and prehistoric flints have even been discovered directly on the estate,” the report states.
The Kennet Valley, which stretches for 12 miles between Kintbury and Aldermaston, has long been famous for its early human activity, with bones of butchered animals and ancient camps springing up along the river’s floodplain.
HPS has warned that Pippa’s plan for a raised garden, the demolition of some existing structures and the construction of new ones could potentially damage an undesignated heritage asset.
