Site Event/Activity record ECH3964 - Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at the Dingle Hotel, Lymm

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 1998, prior to, and during, ground works and building dismantling works in relation to the residential development of the Dingle Hotel, Lymm. This work followed on from a desk-based assessment and building recording exercise (ECH3965) which determined that the central core of the hotel dated to the eighteenth century and appeared to incorporate elements of a timber-framed structure. Also, to the east of the hotel, an L-shaped barn was depicted on historic mapping, which may survive beneath the current tarmac surface. The watching brief monitored the removal of the tarmac surface, the excavation of the strip foundations for the housing plots, also the dismantling of the hotel building. The dismantling of the hotel revealed that the timber-framing that had been previously identified at ground level continued the full height of the building and supported the two wooden trusses. The timber-framing and lathe and daub infill were clearly integral to the original design of the building, suggesting a construction date in the late seventeenth/early eighteenth century. The composition of the buildings' superstructure, dating to the Victorian period, was of poor quality, comprising an array of re-used timbers cobbled together to form trusses and purlins. During the groundworks, two open cellars were observed, one contemporary with the eighteenth century core, and the second, a later insertion associated with the building's conversion into a public house. Furthermore, a series of possible infilled cellars of nineteenth century date were identified along the south-western side of the site. No remains of the nineteenth century L-shaped barn were identified beneath the tarmac surface, although areas of cobbling suggested the preservation of yard surfaces and the location of a driveway and path. (1)