Site Event/Activity record ECH3700 - Halton Castle, Runcorn, Cheshire: Archaeological Watching Brief During Consolidation Works to the Curtain Wall (G1364)

As part of a programme of consolidation works of the curtain wall at Halton Castle (see also ECH3697 and ECH 3696) a watching brief was undertaken in October 1995 during the re-erection and consolidation of a section (section 13) of the nineteenth century south curtain wall of the lower bailey. This involved the excavation of a trench 11m long, 5m wide and just over 2m deep along the inner face of the curtain wall. Two sections of medieval masonry were exposed. A length of the internal face of the curtain wall, approximately 10m long and 2m high, was found to be constructed of squared blocks of ashlar masonry which were not tied into the outer, nineteenth century face of the wall. The wall was not straight but incorporated an angle of some 30 degrees. Several of the ashlar blocks bore masons' marks comprising a small cross or a larger cross; the presence of these marks on the inner face would suggest the wall was originally plastered of lime-washed. The excavations did not continue down to the base of the walls and a layer of rubble was observed but not excavated. The lower levels of this section of walling were not of the same dressed stone as the three upper layers, or laid with the same care. Also part of a square, stepped, masonry block, constructed from squared ashlar blocks, was partly visible in the southern section of the trench. The block was aligned at right angles to the curtain wall and measured 1.4m high and 2.1m north-west/south-east. The base was not excavated and the relationship to the curtain wall was unclear. (1)