Site Event/Activity record ECH6670 - Land off Macclesfield Road, Congleton: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment

A desk-based assessment was undertaken in 2018 for land off Macclesfield Road, Congleton, prior to its development for residential purposes. The development area comprises 7.49 hactares of land used primarilly for pasture. The study found that no archaeological remains dating to the prehistoric, Romano-British, early medieval or medieval periods have been identified within the site’s 1km study area. The potential for remains dating to any of these periods is therefore considered to be low. The site is recorded under the ownership of the Antrobus family of Eaton Hall from the early 19th century onwards during which time it saw usage as both parkland and farmland. A number of mature trees within the site may relate to the former parkland. The area of the former parkland has been greatly changed by sand extraction and it is not considered to be a heritage asset. Eaton Hall and its associated buildings were demolished in the later twentieth century in advance of sand quarrying. Havannah Bridge and Havannah Weir are both Grade II Listed Buildings located circa 270m southeast of the site. Both the site and the factory with which the bridge and weir were associated with are recorded under the historical ownership of the Antrobus family. Despite this, there does not appear to be any functional historical relationship between the site and either of the two heritage assets. (1)