Site Event/Activity record ECH3727 - Vale Royal Great House, Cheshire: Fabric Survey Report

An interim archaeological survey was undertaken, between March and April 1995, of Vale Royal House, in advance of repair and conversion works. The intention of the survey was to record the fabric and structure of the building in order to augment previous surveys and to provide a bsis for interpretation of the structural sequence. Recording included taking scaled photographs of interiors and an instrument survey of the building's exterior to allow rectification of photographs. The survey has also provided an opportunity to examine the fabric of the building, although some areas of the building were inaccessible at time of survey, including the Douglas Wing and the West Range Roof. Following the survey, a watching brief occurred between September and December 1995, as there were indications that substantial fabric from the Cistercian Abbey and the sixteenth century house might have been retained in sity within the post medieval building, built after the abbey's dissolution in 1539. These areas were principally located in the west and south ranges. However, the results of this watching brief and survey were inconclusive and did not provide unequivocable evidence for the retention of the monastic buildings within the later building. (1)