Monument record 14337 - Simmond's Hill Sandstone Quarry, Manley

<1> Sandstone Ridge Trust, 2016, Simmond's Hill Quarry, R4230 (Report). SCH8562.

Following on from the stage one reporting of sites for the 'Ridge, Rocks and Springs Project', an archaeological trial excavation was carried out in July 2016 to research and identify archaeological potential at Simmonds Hill sandstone quarry, Manley, Cheshire (SJ 510 727). The site is located in semi-managed woodland. Work comprised desk-based research, followed by the excavation of two trial trenches located to investigate a structure, measuring some 15m by 5m, depicted on nineteenth century maps. Additionally, investigation occurred of a suspected well and graffiti, recording the date of '1771', carved circa 8 metres high on the quarry face. The work was done by volunteers under the direction of Gary Ball.

Simmonds Hill is one of three main quarry sites (Manley, Simmond's Hill, Siddal's Hill) in Manley that extracted Helsby Sandstone, an important Triassic red-coloured sandstone used as a building material in Cheshire. At Manley Quarry, the local variant of the Helsby Sandstone formation (termed Manley Stone) is a coarse-grained, sharp sandstone containing lumps of green shale and quartzite pebbles. Twenty five worked stones of Roman origin were found in the north wall in Chester near to the King Charle's Tower; several of these were of white Manley Stone, one of which was a grave slab with a carved figure of a man holding a spear. Manley Quarry and Simmond's Hill Quarry are both depicted on a map dating to circa 1806. On the 1840 Tithe Map, three pits are shown at Simmond's Hill.

Trench 1, measuring a metre wide, was excavated parallel to the existing quarry face and corresponding to the rear wall of the structure recorded on historic maps. A second trench, extending the first trench by an additional 1 by 4 metres, was dug to further investigate a sandstone carved block, forming a step feature, found within the building. Significant structural elements of the building were recorded, including internal divisions, post pads and associated iron fixings (nails and bolts). The sandstone carved feature , with its steps and ledges may have been part of the location for a machine for cutting sandstone, as they required to be raised above the ground to keep the blocks clear underneath for sawing and had to be substantially fixed to the ground, as they where often steam driven via belts and pulleys. Two lengths of iron track were recorded and are assumed to be part of a quarry tram way. Although no clear datable evidence was recovered before the late 19th century, only some 15 to 20% of the building was excavated.

The potential well exists as a hand cut shaft into the sandstone bed rock, measuring 1.28m by 1.36m, it was located at a depth of 0.94m. A filled beam slot was recorded on the edge of the shaft. Pot sherds, potentially Buckley ware dating from the late 17th to early 20th century, were recovered from the bottom of the excavated fill from the shaft; traces of copper oxide are present inside the vessel. The shaft appears to pre-date the quarry as much of the fill was composed of material similar to the overburden and quarry waste. The copper deposits within the ceramic vessel are intriguing and it has been suggested that prospecting for copper veins was carried out across the ridge from the late 17th century, and this could be a prospectors shaft. The addition of the beam slot suggests some form of hoist or crane to extract the waste as it was dug, and allow the miner or prospector to be raised and lowered.