Site Event/Activity record ECH6398 - Former MMU Campus, Alsager: Archaeological Strip, Map and Sample Excavation

A strip, map and sample excavation was undertaken in May and June 2017 on land at the former Metropolitan University (MMU) Campus, Alsager, Cheshire (site centred on NGR SJ 7857 5594), prior to the redevelopment of the site. The excavation areas (Area 1 and Area 2) were positioned in the location of buildings at ‘Daisybank Farm’ recorded on the Tithe and Ordnance Survey maps of the site. A total of 345 squared metres of land, located within a sports pitch, was subject to excavation. Archaeological remains were found in both areas investigated and extended across the whole of the study area. The data recovered indicated past activity on the site dating to post medieval and modern periods, but there was no surviving evidence for any activity earlier than the 18th century. The main phase of activity identified appears to relate to the 19th and 20th century occupation of Daisybank Farm. The brick and timber foundations of at least two buildings, and other small brick structures, were recorded, and finds of 18th to 20th century date recovered. The survival of the archaeological features was generally poor, with much of the evidence across the site apparently having been removed during the creation of the later sports pitch. Only limited foundations survived, the turf and shallow topsoil being seen to directly overly the natural sand. (1)