Monument record 5043/1 - The Romano-British Period at Oversley Farm

Excavation at Oversley Farm 1997-1998 in advance of runway expansion at Manchester Airport

The archaeological evidence for the Roman period was slight at Oversley Farm. A circular building was in use in the early part of this period, apparently part of an unenclosed Romano-British farm complex. The whole of the site was clearly not uncovered by the excavation and it must be assumed that the original runway development removed the rest of the structural elements relevant to this phase. It was difficult to explain why the circular structure was constructed in the hollow way or why subsequent abandonment of the building was followed by re-establishment of this ancient track, however, at some point in the 2cnd century the route was re-established and layers of water worn pebbles and gravel laid on the line of the original track way. It may be part of the postulated Roman road between Middlewich and Manchester.
The artifactual evidence for this phase at Oversley Farm is typical of a rural site of this period in the NW area.

Giffords Consulting Engineers (Chester), 1997-98, Oversley Farm, Styal, Cheshire: Excavations in advance of Manchester Airport's Runway 2, 1997-8. Volume 1 - Report, R2336.1-2 (Client Report). SCH3946.

Giffords Consulting Engineers (Chester), 1997-98, Oversley Farm, Styal, Cheshire: Excavations in advance of Manchester Airport's Runway 2, 1997-8. Volume 2 - Figures, R2336.2 (Client Report). SCH3947.

Giffords Consulting Engineers (Chester), 1998, Draft Evaluation Report: Manchester Airport - Runway 2, Volume I, R2273 (Client Report). SCH4251.

Gifford and Partners, 1999, Manchester Airport - Runway 2. Evaluation Report - Volume I: Text and Plates, R2285/1-2 (Client Report). SCH3972.

Giffords Consulting Engineers (Chester), 1999, Manchester Airport Second Runway, Oversley Farm Excavation: Post-Excavation Assessment Report, R2283 (Client Report). SCH3975.

<1> D J Garner, 2007, The Neolithic and Bronze Age Settlement at Oversley Farm, Styal, Cheshire (Book). SCH5392.