Site Event/Activity record ECH5404 - Archaeological Watching Brief at the Brewhouse and Stables, Lyme Park

Archaeological watching brief, undertaken in December 2011 and January 2012, at Lyme Park, Disley, during groundworks associated with the installation of a new service trench. The groundworks comprised the excavation of pipe trenches associated with the upgrading of existining boilers, situated in the Brewhouse, through the Orangery courtyard, to new boilers located in the northern wing of the stable range. The pipe trench measured 107m in length. It was 0.7m in width, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.94m. The initial 23m of the trench was situated within the Orangery courtyard, and comprised a layer of crushed yellow sandstone, forming the current ground surface, beneath which there was a thick deposit of residual coal and charcoal, overlaying redeposited clay, which sealed the natural geology. Further to the south-east were the remains of an earlier, crushed brick surface. An isolated possible posthole was recorded, truncating the levelling layers. The levelling deposits in the orangery would most likely relate to the function of the building. The only feature identified was a possible posthole that had been deliberately backfilled; its function remains unclear. Beyond the orangery gate, to the stable block, the pipe trench excavation encountered a dark-brown topsoil that sealed a thick layer of demolition rubble used to level the ground. This deposit sloped to the north-east, and towards this end its full extent was not reached. The rubble sealed a former soil horizon, which sat directly on natural geology. To the south-west of the stable block were the heavily truncated remains of a rough sandstone wall. It truncated the natural geology to the south-west and was abutted by the made ground and former soil horizon to the north-east. Further features observed included modern cables, a stone culvert and a brick culvert, all located to the south-west of the wall. No finds were encountered from any deposits or features during the fieldwork. The truncated sandstone wall beyond the orangery gate forms a boundary between two very contrasting ground compositions. This, along with the history and topography, suggests that these are remnants of the Stag Pond. The thick deposit of demolition rubble may have been used to backfill the pond in the latter half of the nineteenth century, possibly when the stables were constructed, and the sandstone wall was the putative, heavily disturbed remains of the pond’s dam. If so, a precise location of the former Stag Pond may have been established, and would be a significant contribution to the history of Lyme Park. (1)