Pippa Middleton's renovation plans unearth ancient warnings

Pippa Middleton’s ambitious plans to spruce up her Barton Court estate is hitting a literal stone wall and by stone, we mean thousands of years old. 

Archaeologists have warned that proposed renovations could disturb prehistoric remains hidden beneath the grounds of the £15million country home.

The Middleton Matthews duo submitted planning applications to build a greenhouse, stables, and a garden room, along with other extensions. 

But experts brought in to assess the site have flagged the risk of uncovering relics from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, medieval, and post-medieval periods.

Heritage Planning Services (HPS), the archaeology consultancy, told West Berkshire Council that the property sits in an area rich with ancient human activity, with flint tools and evidence of early hunter-gatherer camps having been discovered across the Kennet Valley. 

“Mesolithic remains are known from flint scatters and semi-permanent sites in the area, and prehistoric flintwork has even been found directly on the estate,” the report states.

The Kennet Valley, stretching 12 miles between Kintbury and Aldermaston, has long been famed for early human activity, with butchered animal bones and ancient camp sites popping up along the river floodplain.

HPS warned that Pippa’s plan for a formal raised garden, demolition of some existing structures, and construction of new ones could potentially damage a non-designated heritage asset.