Monument record 1189/1/24 - Excavated Section of Roman Road - Middlewich to Whitchurch (Margary no. 700) - to the South-West of Leighton Grange

<1> Aeon Archaeology, 2019, Proposed Cheshire IVC Plant, Leighton Grange, Leighton, Cheshire, CW1 4QQ: Archaeological Watching Brief, R4298 (Client Report). SCH8683.

The ephemeral remains of the Middlewich to Whitchurch Roman road were recorded by an archaeological watching brief in 2019, just to the south-west of Leighton Grange. The road itself, which would have measured just under 11m in width, had been truncated by a later, twentieth century track, but the bases of the two flanking, stone-filled ditches were still present, aligned north-east/south-west. The line of the road corresponds to that recorded by Ordnance Survey mapping. The later trackway is probably associated with the World War II army nissen hut compound and heavy anti-aircraft battery just to the south-west of Leighton Grange (see CHER 4121/0/2).

The eastern ditch cut was linear in plan and measured 6.4m in length, 1.70m in width, and 0.29m at its maximum depth. The cut of the ditch had gradually curving sides leading to a slightly concave base which appeared to have a slight fall from south-west to north-east. The eastern ditch had a single fill consisting of a firm, bright yellow-grey silt-clay with abundant small sub-rounded pebble and cobble inclusions.

The western ditch cut was also linear in plan although more sinuous toward its southern extent; it measured 6.67m in length, 0.95m in width (maximum), and 0.11m deep (very indistinct). The cut of the ditch was almost imperceptible in section with the base being either concave or flat. The western ditch had a single fill consisting of a very firm, bright yellow-grey silt-clay with occasional small sub-rounded pebble inclusions. The area between the ditches measured 10.70m and
was partially filled by a remnant of the later soft clinker material seen in the trackway located above. In the area either side of the soft clinker the natural clay was revealed which like other areas was stained a dark blue-grey colour.