Site Event/Activity record ECH6383 - Crump Weir, Little Bollington, Cheshire: Archaeological Investigation

Archaeological evaluation and watching brief undertaken in November 2008 and February 2009 respectively on land adjacent to Crump Weir on the west bank of the River Bollin, Little Bollington, Cheshire. Crump Weir formed part of the water-management system for Little Bollington Mill, which lies on the east bank of the River Bollin, in the county of Greater Manchester (HER No 3726). In the first instance, an archaeological evaluation of the site was undertaken to establish the presence or absence of any buried remains of archaeological interest prior to the proposed construction of a fish passage around the weir. A single trench was excavated measuring 9.6m long by 1.8m wide. No archaeological deposits or features were encountered, the stratigraphic sequence comprising the natural clay geology, mottled sand subsoil, and topsoil. The subsequent watching brief targeted the river bank with the aim of establishing whether the river channel had been lined with stone at this point. The earth-moving works to construct the fish passage were monitored but no significant archaeological remains were exposed, although a deposit of dumped stones, with occasional fragments of brick, are thought to represent an attempt to improve the river channel and may be associated with the construction of Crump Weir. The inclusion of hand-made brick fragments implies a depositional date no earlier than the eighteenth century. (1)