| Title: |
Black Horse, 29 Preston Street, Kirkham, Lancashire: Archaeological Strip, Map and Record |
| Series: |
Greenlane Archaeology Ltd unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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greenlan1-515805_211562.pdf (3 MB)
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Download
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| Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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| DOI |
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| Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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| Abstract: |
Following the submission of a planning application to convert part of the existing building into self-contained apartments and erect new dwellings to the rear of the Black Horse pub, Kirkham, Greenlane Archaeology was commissioned to carry out an archaeological strip, map and record of the site during the associated groundworks. This followed on from an earlier heritage statement by Stephen Haigh Buildings Archaeologist (2020). The strip, map and record was carried out between the 7th March and 5th April 2022. Documentary evidence demonstrates that the wider Poulton area contains archaeological remains from the last Ice Age, but the area closer to the site is dominated by those of Roman, medieval and post-medieval date. The Roman fort at Dowbridge, to the east of Kirkham, dates from the 1st to 2nd century AD and the place-name ‘Kirkham’ denotes a settlement with a church and is recorded in the Domesday Book. Kirkham’s layout is largely medieval, comprising the remains of burgage plots running north/south off the main street. It remained the major market centre locally and gradually industrialised by the end of the 19th century.
Stripping the site revealed a range of deposits below the modern carpark, with dumped deposits of post-medieval date overlying a range of features cut into the underlying natural. These mainly comprised a range of large pits, most of which are interpreted as former sand pits, dug in the late 18th to early 19th century, one of which had been backfilled with a large amount of pottery. An earlier linear feature was also present and was probably created in order to sub-divide the original burgage plot. Other features included a backfilled cellar on the western edge of the site, which probably related to buildings shown on maps of the area between the mid-19th and mid-20th century.
Although all of the features were of post-medieval date they represent a surprisingly large concentration, presumably focussed on an area of naturally occurring loose glacial sand. They demonstrate the potential for features to survive, including ones of earlier date, in Kirkham and other small medieval towns. The large collection of finds from one of the pits represent an interesting and relatively unusual collection of late 18th to early 19th century date, while the presence of pottery wasters suggests that pottery production might have been carried out nearby. |
| Author: |
Thomas Mace
Daniel W Elsworth
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| Publisher: |
Greenlane Archaeology Ltd
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| Year of Publication: |
2022
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| Locations: |
| District: |
Fylde |
| County: |
Lancashire |
| Country: |
England |
| Parish: |
Kirkham |
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Grid Reference: 342824, 432158 (Easting, Northing)
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
greenlan1-515805 |
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| Source: |
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| Created Date: |
03 Jul 2023 |
