Monument record 758/1/8 - Possible Cellar or Undercroft of Vale Royal Abbey

<1> Lancaster University Archaeological Unit, 1997, Vale Royal Golf Course and Housing Developments, Cheshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report, R2167 (Client Report). SCH4048.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in 1996 at Vale Royal Abbey in advance of development of a proposed new housing development and 18 hole golf course. The first phase of assessment comprised a documentary study and identification survey; the second phase involved magnetometer and resistivity surveys. The results of the first two stages then informed the position of trial trenches in the third stage of work. The trenches were positioned to investigate areas of greatest proposed disturbance, areas of archaeological potential, and control areas where no archaeological resource had been identified. Trench A4, to the north of the scheduled area of the abbey, revealed a very large, cut feature which has been interpreted as a former cellar or undercroft. It was at least 11.9m wide, in excess of 1.2m deep, and was orientated east-west, continuing beyond the southern limit of the excavation. The earlier fills of the feature contained a mix of mortar and stone fragments, with some charcoal. The later deposits contained fifteenth century medieval tile and post medieval debris. The fills could represent clearance debris generated by the programme of demolition (the abbey church was demolished soon after the Dissolution in 1538) and rebuilding undertaken in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries at Vale Royal. The size and position of the cut feature, circa 100m to the north of the abbey church, suggest a close relationship.

A second substantial cut feature was recorded some 2m further to the north which may represent a similar structure. It was aligned approximately north-south, but only the southern end of the feature was examined. The full width of this feature was not revealed, extending beyond the western edge of the trench; it had steep sides and was more than 0.47m deep.

As well as the group of fine fifteenth century floor tile recovered from Trench A4, was a fragment of probable medieval dressed stone, a small fragment of medieval window glass, also potential roof tiles formed of thinner, unglazed tiles. These finds indicate a building of reasonably high status, potentially ecclesiastic. The size and number of floor tiles strongly suggest the presence of a glazed tile floor. Two shapes of tile were noted, triangular and square/rectangular; most were glazed yellow, some with a thin white underglaze slip producing a bright yellow surface. Others were browny-yellow without the under slip. There was a single fragment of dark green glaze. This material closely resembles the late fifteenth century tiled floor excavated at Norton Priory, Runcorn, both in colour and manufacturing techniques.