Site Event/Activity record ECH3485 - Number 2 The Ridge, Delamere: Regrading and levelling of land

On 23.3.00 a visit was made to The Ridge’, Eddisbury Hill, Delamere, to observe the regrading of land to the rear of the property (see attached plan). Prior to the work, the land, which lay on the eastern slopes of Eddisbury Hill, sloped steeply. It had recently been incorporated in the householder’s garden and the aim was to terrace the area, to facilitate grass cutting. Terracing was to be accomplished by machine-cutting of a north-to-south terrace, leaving a battered slope up to 2m high. Spoil was to be piled upslope, to the west. It was considered possible that the Roman road from Chester to Manchester might be exposed in the works. At the time of my visit topsoil stripping was complete and terrace cutting had begun on the northern portion of the site. No trace of the road was visible at this stage, although observational conditions were not ideal. Large boulders mixed with hillwash was the norm and bedrock was not visible, even in the deepest cuttings. I had hoped to return when cutting of the terrace was complete, as the best hope of identifying the road appeared to lie in establishing the presence of roadside ditches in the battered section. Work pressures, however, did not permit a return visit. M D Leah 5.4.00