Site Event/Activity record ECH6459 - Land off Hawthorne Drive, Sandbach, Cheshire: An Archaeological Strip and Map Excavation

Ahead of the proposed residential development of land off Hawthorne Drive, Sandbach, Cheshire (centring on SJ 7658 6090) an archaeological desk-based assessment (ECH5484) identified that a solitary building, probably a former farmstead, had existed within the site. The building, of indeterminate date, was represented on the tithe survey of c. 1836–51 but was no longer extant by the time of the publication of the Ordnance Survey map of 1875. During September 2017 the area of the former building was targeted for an archaeological strip, map and sample excavation. The aim of the project was to expose, sample excavate and record any surviving remains of the former building and, if possible, establish a chronology for its development and occupation. The earliest features encountered included several pits, possibly for sand extraction, from which finds dating to the seventeenth century were recovered. Limited remains associated with the former building, largely in the form of postholes, along with associated features and deposits, were encountered and recorded. The building appears to have two phases, being erected during the eighteenth century and undergoing major repairs during its lifetime before finally being demolished around the middle of the nineteenth century. (1)