Source/Archive record SCH8396 - Archaeological Mitigation Report: Ledsham Road, Ellesmere Port

Following on from an earlier archaeological evaluation (see ECH6484), a 40m x 40m area strip, map and record excavation was undertaken on land off Ledsham Road, Ellesmere Port, in September 2017. The programme of work was done in advance of the development of a residential area, consisting of around 1500 dwellings, 400 sqm of retail floor space for a local shop, a new primary school, a community building, a new linear car park, playing fields and other public open space, new allotment, together with new accesses, streets and other related infrastructure. The removal of the overburden revealed that the natural substrate was pitted by twenty six irregular, shallow pits. On excavation, seventeen of these were interpreted as natural tree boles or elongated tree throws. An Early Neolithic radiocarbon date was obtained from wood charcoal contained in one of the pit fills and it is thought that this group of pits may represent a deliberate woodland clearance event around 3630-3372 cal BC. The remaining nine, more regular, features comprised of five small pits, which may also represent tree boles, a single possible post hole, and three Post Medieval field drains. A single fragment of clay tobacco pipe was recovered from one of the field drains and no other finds were recovered from any of the defined features. However, a small assemblage of finds were gathered from the topsoil datin from the Prehistoric to Post Medieval periods. Four fragments of flint were collected, with three being natural flakes and the fourth with evidence of re-touch along one edge, potentially having functioned as a small scraper. One very abraded fragment of Roman orangeware pottery was also recovered. The remainder of the finds, including nineteen further sherds of pottery and two fragments of glass, were all of Post Medieval date.