Source/Archive record SCH4054 - Gadbrook Park, Cheshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Archaeological evaluation undertaken in September 1996 on land at Gadbrook Park to the south of Northwich (NGR SJ 685723). King Street, a Roman road now overlain by the A530, runs through the site and the evaluation focused on a 25m wide corridor on either side of this road. The evaluation comprised a gradiometer survey to investigate a possible kiln within a field formerly known as 'Brick Kiln Field', to the east of King Street. Also, a palaeo-environmental evaluation was undertaken in conjunction with the excavation of a series of trenches. The geophysical survey encountered extensive disturbance from service trenches, only one other anomaly was detected but this too was probably a pipeline. The palaeoenvironmental evaluation was intended to analyse core samples from two marl pits but coring was not practical as it was too wet. However, two samples from excavated features were processed and the results demonstrate good potential for organic preservation in ditches over circa 0.7m deep. The preserved biota consisted of a variety of plant and insect fragments, but contained no diagnostic material. Six trenches 25m in length were excavated by machine although trench 6 could not be recorded due to subsequent topsoil tipping and a seventh trench was dug in its place. In the three most northerly trenches (2, 3 and 7), to the west of the road, a ditch was recorded running parallel to and circa 3m away from the road, the ditch was therefore at least 225m long; it was not observed south of trench 3. In trenches 2 and 7, the ditch was circa 3.32m wide and 0.91m deep and in both trenches, the ditch had been re-cut at least once, to insert twentieth century ceramic drains. No artefactual evidence was recovered but the ditch is thought likely to be a road-side ditch relating to Roman road King Street. A further ditch, 2.54m wide and 0.69m deep, was observed in trench 7. It again lay parallel to King Street and circa 25m from it, it is thought to represent a medieval or post medieval boundary ditch. In the trenches to the east of King Street a trackway and shallow ditch were recorded at an angle of 45 degrees to King Street. This orientation corresponds with the orientations of field boundaries recorded on OS nineteenth century mapping. Also, in trench 5 to the east of King Street, in the field formerly called 'Brick Kiln Field', large quantities of burnt and fired clay were observed. Close to these deposits was a 0.76m deep ditch feature, the lower fills of which also contained large amounts of burnt and fired clay and fragments of burnt wood, suggesting the presence of possible kilns.