Site Event/Activity record ECH6243 - Foxholme Crewe, Cheshire: Desk Based Assessment & Site Visit

In May 2014 Archaeology Wales was commissioned by TGC Renewables to carry out an archaeological desk-based assessment of a proposed solar farm on a site at Foxholme Farm, Maw Lane, Haslington, Cheshire. No designated historic landscape areas, Listed Buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments lie within the bounds of the proposed development or within a 1km search area around the site. The regional Historic Environment Record lists six sites within the 1km search area and the National Monuments Record lists one site. None of these lie within the area of proposed development. A few isolated find spots of prehistoric flints have been found within the 1km search area along with a Roman salt making site. Parts of the embankment for the Crewe to Manchester Railway date from the 1840s and there is a possible site for a chapel in a field opposite the proposed development site. The site area appears to have been used as undeveloped agricultural land, largely pasture with occasional arable use for the past 400 years. The remnants of fossilised ridge and furrow in the central field, shows that the site may have a medieval or earlier origin. Aerial photographs, taken in the 1940s, indicate that the ridge and furrow extended into other fields in the area but have since been plough out. The Tithe map from 1839 shows the field layout to be the same as the current one, although later OS maps include a fox covert which was removed in the 1940s. Due to the low numbers of archaeological finds in the area it is considered that there is a limited potential for further, as yet, unrecorded archaeological remains to be present on the site. The ridge and furrow may contain artefacts to date their creation and use and may be affected by ground works associated with the proposed development. It is therefore recommended that archaeological monitoring is maintained during any ground breaking activity associated with the development in those fields.