Source/Archive record SCH5324 - Holmes Chapel Road, Congleton, Cheshire: Archaeological Desk Based Assessment

This archaeological desk-based assessment considers land approximately 24.4 hectares in extent off Holmes Chapel Road, Congleton. The site contains a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a Neolithic Long Barrow, designated under the provisions of the 'Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act' (as amended). However, there is some uncertainty about the nature of the designated mound and a number of authorities have queried whether the mound is of Neolithic date and was built to function as a Long Barrow; several alternative dates and functions have been proposed. The assessment also considers the impact of the proposed development on other (designated and undesignated) heritage assets. However, in the absence of listed buildings, conservation areas, registered historic parks and gardens and registered battlefields on, or in the vicinity of the site, this assessment concentrates on archaeological assets and considers the potential for as yet undiscovered archaeological remains on the site. This desk-based assessment concludes that, given the uncertainty over the origins and form of the Scheduled Ancient Monument, a programme of non-invasive and invasive evaluation works may be justified to clarify the nature of the mound. The results of this work would then enable the national importance of the mound to be confirmed or questioned and, in turn, once the nature of the mound was better understood its significance and the contribution of its setting to that significance could be defined. In this context, once the nature, significance and setting of the mound has been clarified, the relationship of the proposed development to the mound can be examined to test its acceptability.