England Football Enterprises Ltd. are constructing a new national training centre at Byrkley Park in Staffordshire. As part of the enabling works for this project an archaeological desk based assessment was carried out by Marches Archaeology. The study indicated four principal phases of activity affecting the landscape.

The earliest phase was the creation of Needwood Forest, a medieval 'chase,' which covered a large part of East Staffordshire. Byrkley Park included one of the hunting lodges of the chase and there were also fish ponds towards the centre of the site. The landscape of a medieval forest was not simply woodland, but included various open areas which are more like open parkland.

In the later 18th century a new country house, still called Byrkley Lodge, was built to the south-west of the medieval lodge, with various additions and changes to the landscape, including remodelling of the ponds. The forest was enclosed in the early 19th century.

In the late 19th century a new Lodge was built by Hamar Bass of the famous brewing company in nearby Burton-on-Trent. Despite being called a Lodge, this was a magnificent mansion with a vast Stable Block.

Unfortunately, it was sold in 1952 and the mansion demolished, the stable block being largely demolished in the 1990s, with only its gatehouse surviving.

An airfield to the north-west of the site was used during the Second World War and has numerous dispersed parking areas for aircraft to avoid extensive damage during German bombing raids. There is also an area of bunkers associated with the airfield.

As a result of the desk based assessment the development plans were structured to ensure the survival of the site of the medieval Lodge and a programme of archaeological works was put in place to record the remaining buildings. A watching brief was carried out on the below ground remains of the 18th and 19th century Lodges.

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