Site Event/Activity record ECH6604 - Beeston Castle, Beeston, Cheshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken at the scheduled monument Beeston Castle, Beeston (SJ 538 592) during April 2018. It comprised the excavation of two test pits within the area of a former stone quarry located within the north-east extent of the outer ward of the castle. During the eighteenth century the hill was let for grazing and quarrying, and the outer gatehouse was demolished to give better access to the quarries. Stone continued to be quarried during the nineteenth century but as the remains of the castle began to be appreciated as a picturesque ruin repairs were carried out and the present gatehouse, or lodge, was built in 1846. The evaluation has demonstrated that, beneath a thin layer of accumulated humic topsoil, the underlying deposits contained within the area of the proposed intrusion comprise little more than a thin layer of stony, sandy material lying immediately above the natural geology, the level of which having been disturbed during historic stone quarrying operations. Indeed, the stony-sandy material encountered can be interpreted as material derived from a large waste mound, lying towards the southern limits of the former stone quarry. Over time, material would have eroded from this spoil mound and accumulated over the floor of the quarry. To summarise, no deposits or features of archaeological significance were recorded. (1)