Monument record 550/1 - Bradley Hall Moated Site

<1> Department for the Environment, Various, Provisional List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 8, 7, 16 (1962) (Report). SCH2744.

Hall is seventeenth century and much altered, with comparatively little original work showing. Formerly listed at Grade III.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ68 SE2 (Index). SCH2487.

Includes field survey.

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 13/03/2017 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

There is some confusion in (2). Some of the sources, notably (2) and (2a), are referring to Bradley Hall, Burtonwood.

<4> Archer A & Wilson D, 1974, Moated Sites in Cheshire, p.8 (Article in Journal). SCH5789.

Recorded under Appleton in a gazetteer of moated sites in Cheshire.

<5> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 13447 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The monument comprises a moated site, the island of which is partially occupied by a modernised farmhouse and garden but which was formerly occupied by the manor house of Bradley Hall. The island measures c.70m x 55m and is grass covered where not overlain by the house and garden. It is surrounded by a waterlogged moat c.10m wide x 2.5m deep that has been landscaped on the E side to form an ornamental pond. Access to the island is via a causeway on the E side close to the NE corner that replaced an earlier drawbridge. A secondary access point on the E side has been incorporated into the garden landscaping where the moat has been dammed to form the ornamental pond. Two sets of steps, one in the S arm and one in the W arm, lead down from the island into the moat. The original Bradley Hall occupied the site in the early 14th century. It was rebuilt in 1460 and again in the 17th century, and has been considerably altered since.

<6> National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, 1993, Greater Manchester Western & Northern Relief Road - M56-M62 Archaeological Assessment Report, No.186 (Client Report). SCH1269.

<7> Burton J, 1984, Bradley Hall Appleton, The Moated Site a Survey and Research Report (Unpublished Report). SCH5205.

In May 1983 the moat and its immediate surroundings were subject to a contour survey by extra-mural students of Manchester University. A resistivity survey of an area of approximately 20 x 25 metres on the moat platform was also undertaken. The resistivity survey indicated a damp area, running from the house to the moat edge. This was not thought to be drains by the owner. There were dry areas on the south western part of the survey area. This could confirm the existence of large greenhouses that stood on the site some years ago. The dry areas suggest the presence of buried foundations. Further resistivity survey was undertaken to the north at the location of a possible Roman road. Report also includes an overview of the documentary and cartographic evidence.

<8> National Museums Liverpool, 2009, An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Bradley Hall, Appleton, Near Warrington, Cheshire, R4677 (Client Report). SCH9401.

<9> National Museums Liverpool, 2009, An Archaeological Watching Brief at Bradley Hall Moat, Appleton, Warrington. Final Report (Client Report). SCH5213.

Watching brief carried out during the excavation of foundations for a replacement extension to the farmhouse at Bradley Hall Farm, Appleton, Warrington. The moat is a scheduled ancient monument. The foundations were shallow and built on clay which overlay an uneven spread of cobbles which in turn lay over a buried soil. The latter produced the base of a 14th-15th century jar. Industrial waste was recovered that had apparently been used to make paths and other surfaces. The numbers of finds was relatively small but, the conclusions suggest, this is not unusual for sites such as this.

<10> Fothergill, John & Fothergill, Barbara, 2011, The Legh of Lyme survey (Book). SCH9488.

Bradley Hall (Appleton) was called “the hall or manor” in 1466