Series: Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust unpublished report series

The Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust undertook a Heritage Impact Assessment in support of a planning application for proposed conversion of a Grade II listed building at 102 Watergate Street, Chester, to fulfil the requirements of the planning authority to assess the potential adverse and beneficial impacts of the proposed changes on the historic environment. The Heritage Impact Assessment identified some surviving historic features that should be retained and conserved as part of the proposed conversion. The state of the interior of the building was poor due to its current disuse and its previous function for multi-occupancy, and the proposed change of use would result in enhancement if designed sensitively to respect and conserve the historic fabric and features.

During 2018, the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust carried out an archaeological watching brief during groundworks for a housing development on land to the west of Upper Church Street in Oswestry. This followed earlier work which involved as desk-based assessment of the Development Area and an archaeological evaluation. The watching brief revealed a single feature of medieval date, located at the north-eastern end of the southern block of housing, and some evidence of later features which collectively corresponded with the evidence provided by the evaluation. These features are thought to be related to the occupation of houses located along Upper Church Street, though the area of the northern block of housing, nearest to the street frontage, was devoid of comparable features, probably owing to disturbance from the construction of a modern house that was extant in 2015 but had been demolished prior to the commencement of the watching brief.

In October 2022 the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) carried out a Level 3 historic building survey in respect of a planning application for the demolition of the existing dwelling and construction of a new replacement dwelling. The house at 55 Alcester Road essentially comprised two phases of construction, the original 19th century cottage and the mid-late 20th century extensions and additions. The cottage appeared to have been built at some point between 1815 and 1838. The cottage itself comprised a simple two up, two down design, with the upper floor accessed via a central staircase. The house was in reasonably good condition, and retained much of its original fabric and layout. However, the modernisation of much of the house and the removal of many of the period fixtures and finishes have been detrimental to its character and heritage value. It retains some characteristics of houses in the local area, including the stepped brick detailing most notably on the uppermost external coursing.

An assessment was conducted by Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust to determine the potential impacts on the cultural heritage resource which may result from the refurbishment of the existing 132kV overhead powerline, known as the AH-Q Line, between Wallasey Grid (SJ 2991 9120) and a substation at Birkenhead (SJ 2950 8595) on the Wirral, within Merseyside. The scheme also included the removal of a short section between four towers at the southern end of the scheme, and its replacement by a new underground cable. The assessment comprised a desk-based study which examined a 250m-wide corridor along the entire length of the scheme. The study has determined that there is the potential for direct impacts on a small number of heritage assets, none of which is designated and no formal permissions are required in regard to the cultural heritage.

An intermittent watching brief was conducted by the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust between October 2015 and September 2016 to monitor the removal of topsoil during the extension of the quarry to the southeast. The area topsoil stripped comprised two arable fields located to the south and west of the existing quarry, measuring approximately 80,000 square metres in total. Removal of the topsoil revealed an extensive land drain network. Patches of marl were also identified. The presence of a number of extant marl pits in the north eastern extent of the area and the features recorded on historic mapping suggested that marl was extensively extracted from the site. A former marl pit was also revealed in the centre of the excavated area. A ditch, possibly a former field boundary was revealed running to the east of the extant marl pits in the north of the site. In the field to the west of the quarry two ditches were revealed running into a former pond. One of these ditches corresponded in location and orientation to a field boundary recorded on late 19th century mapping. Nothing of earlier date was revealed during the course of this watching brief.

A watching brief was undertaken by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, on behalf of the National Trust, during the excavation of a narrow trench for the installation of fibre optic cabling to the east of Berrington Hall, Herefordshire. The cable route extended for around 300m between a minor road and the Gatehouse, now the Visitor Reception, crossing parkland for the majority of its length. No further evidence was revealed for two linear features known to cross the route, a possible medieval road and a linear ditch, although the work did reveal part of a light well for the cellar at the northern end of the Gatehouse east elevation.

The watching brief monitored the dismantling of a section of the existing garden wall and the excavation of the foundation trench for the new wall. The watching brief monitored the dismantling of an existing wall section and the excavation of the foundation trench for the new wall. Nothing of archaeological significance was uncovered during the course of this work.

The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) undertook a watching brief on behalf of English Heritage during ground investigation works relating to a new septic tank installation at Boscobel House in Shropshire. The site is a Scheduled Monument and Boscobel House is listed grade II*. The watching brief was conducted on 28 October 2019 and monitored the mechanical excavation of three percolation pits located within a grass paddock to the east of the house. No significant archaeological finds or features were identified.

The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust carried out an enhanced watching brief during groundworks for an extension to Brompton Mill House, Pentreheyling in Shropshire in March and April 2021, on behalf of the owner. The development bordered the area of the scheduled monument known as the ‘Motte and bailey castle and line of Offa's Dyke adjacent to Brompton Mill’ (No 1013496), which was designated to protect the line of a section of the early medieval linear earthwork known as Offa’s Dyke and the medieval motte and bailey castle at Brompton, which is thought to have been constructed on the line of the dyke. The groundworks involved the creation of a section through the deposits to the north-north-west of the house, where it was thought that evidence relating to conjunction between the motte and bailey and Offa’s Dyke might be revealed. The majority of the machining only affected natural deposits of glacio-fluvial origin, which comprised a varied sequence of gravels and sandy silts. Three features which probably represent gullies or ditches were identified within the section that was produced, with context (11) likely to represent the upper part of the motte ditch, though its fill was no doubt of 19th-century or later date, as indicated by the material it contained. This most probably followed the remodelling of the water system to serve the current mill. Of greater significance was the probable ditch/gully (13), which just fell within the area examined. The most likely interpretation of the feature is that it was the leat depicted serving an earlier mill on an 18th-century map. While it can be suggested from cartographic sources that this might have followed the course of the ditch of Offa’s Dyke, the fill within it no doubt formed at a later date and is also unlikely to be contemporary with the ditch of the motte.