Site Event/Activity record ECH7348 - HS2 Phase 2a Archaeological Report: Utilities TX35 Trial Trenching, Unstratified Survey and Archaeological Recording

High Speed Two (HS2) is a new railway network proposed by the Government to provide a link between London, the West Midlands, the East Midlands and Manchester. Phase 2a of HS2 will involve the construction of a new railway between the West Midlands and Crewe. Between December 2021 and January 2022, archaeological works comprising test-pitting, trial trenching and archaeological recording were undertaken at Chorlton, Cheshire ahead of a local diversion of National Grid’s Feeder 4 gas pipeline, to accommodate the construction of the HS2 Phase 2a railway. The aim of the archaeological recording was to preserve by record any remains of a former farmstead depicted to the south of Heath Farm (CHER 7833) on 19th century maps. Trial pits were initially excavated at either end and the centre of each trial trench footprint (total 48 trial pits) and the sieving of the overburden for finds retrieval, although none were found. After the trial pits, 16 trial trenches were excavated, several of these containing features likely associated with field drainage. Additionally, field survey was undertaken for an area of approximately 0.42ha spread across parts of two fields within the area of the former farmstead. A possible late medieval field boundary was observed in the northern field as well as areas of bioturbation likely associated with an orchard depicted on the 19th century Ordnance Survey maps. In the southern field, little evidence for the former farmstead was identified other than two wells, one or two robbed-out wall lines, a few undiagnostic pits and postholes as well as patches of former farmyard surface. Linear features, including ditches, gullies and land drains associated with field drainage, were also recorded within both the northern and southern fields. The earliest feature was potentially a former field boundary, possibly a hedge, which produced a single fragment of possible 15th or16th century pottery. The farmstead itself appears to have been in operation between the early 18th and late 19th centuries. The pottery suggests a possible foundation date of between 1700 and 1750, and historic maps show that the farmstead had been demolished by 1878. (1)