Site Event/Activity record ECH6836 - Land to the North of Grafton Old Hall, Grafton, Near Tilston, Malpas, Cheshire: An Archaeological Assessment

An archaeological desk-based assessment was undertaken in 2020 of land to the north of Grafton Old Hall, Grafton, near Tilston, Malpas, Cheshire. The proposed development site forming the focus of the assessment consists of a small parcel of agricultural land (centring on SJ 4520 5167) located approximately 400m to the north of Old Hall Farm. There are no designated heritage assets within the site of the proposed development. Non-designated heritage assets within both the proposed site boundary and wider study area consist of a stretch of the Roman road linking Chester to Whitchurch and evidence for a Roman roadside settlement, along with records of finds, mostly clustered along the northern fringes of the proposed site. The wider study area contains evidence for the medieval and post-medieval estate of Grafton. (1) An addendum to this report (R4435.2) was produced in June 2020 because of subsequent revisions to the extent and layout of the development proposals and re-assessment of the extent of the spread of debris indicative of postulated Roman roadside settlement. The proposed revisions have resulted in a reduction of both the overall area of the site and its placement in relation to the line of the Roman road. The proposed site now lies a significant distance south of the line of the Roman road, which follows the general line of an existing hedgerow north of the site. Furthermore, re-assessment of records relating to Roman debris observed during drainage trenches excavated within the site during 1982 has allowed the extent of the postulated Roman settlement to be reduced considerably from that indicated within the initial assessment. This revised information demonstrates that much of the proposed site would appear to be free of building debris except in the areas generally confined to the north-east corner. (2)