Site Event/Activity record ECH6255 - Archaeological Monitoring of Groundworks. Northwich Town Centre Flood Risk Management Scheme (FRMS), Cheshire

Watching brief carried out during groundworks for Northwich Town Centre Flood Management Scheme.(FRMS) The proposed Northwich FRMS affected a number of locations throughout the town centre of Northwich. An environmental statement for the scheme indicated that there is a possibility of encountering stratified archaeological deposits of significance associated with the medieval, post-medieval and industrial periods of Northwich. These include post medieval to modern made ground deposits identified by Liverpool Museums service during earlier archaeological monitoring of boreholes and Trent and Peak archaeology during the initial monitoring of hand dug trial holes. During the works, structural remains were only observed within Reach Three. These consisted of 2 brick built structures along the bank of the River Weaver and part of the 19th century river wall. These structures probably formed part of the 19th century quayside facilitating the loading and unloading of goods to the nearby town centre. Within Reach One, the 19th century earthen river bank of the River Dane was observed. This was sealed by 19th/ 20th century made ground deposits. These made ground deposits were characteristic of the deposits observed during previous archaeological works throughout Northwich( by The Museum of Liverpool, Oxford Archaeology and Trent and Peak Archaeology and were interpreted to be a deliberate reclamation of the land throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It was suggested by Adams that the made ground throughout the town could be related to the infilling following subsidence or the deliberate reclamation along the riverbanks, possibly related to the construction of quaysides. Due to the limited nature of the intervention it was not possible to determine whether said deposits were related to either the infilling along the riverbank or the demolition of the Croft Salt works to the immediate north of Reach One. Within Reaches Tow, Seven and twelve, no archaeological material was observed, due to the heavy truncation by late 20th century construction work.