Site Event/Activity record ECH5893 - Land off St Anne's Lane, Nantwich, Cheshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

An archaeological watching brief undertaken in 2013 during groundworks associated with the installation of major services in advance of housing development. The watching brief showed the area to comprise made ground overlying a deep deposit of black, waterlogged material, probably representing a prolonged series of floods dating from the Roman to the post medieval period. This overlay natural clay and sand into which features (post hole and shallow ditch/gully) of medieval and probably Roman date had been cut. A palaeochannel, thought to lead to the River Weaver was recorded to the north east end of the site. Within it was a large amount of worked wood apparently forming a revetment or flood defence. The timbers showed signs of tool marks suggestive of a Roman/medieval date. Twelve of these timbers were lifted and have been recorded in full. (1) Report of specialist recording and analysis of the the twelve timbers. Tool marks suggestive of a Roman date, but also could be medieval. Dendrochronological dating of three timbers proved inconclusive. (2)