| Title: |
Swarthmoor Hall, Ulverston, Cumbria: Archaeological Excavation |
| Series: |
Greenlane Archaeology Ltd unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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greenlan1-518283_213997.pdf (2 MB)
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Download
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| Biblio Note |
This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has not been reviewed by the relevant HER. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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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: |
As part of the 2011 Festival of British Archaeology, an event run nationally by the Council for British Archaeology, a series of trenches were excavated in the grounds of Swarthmoor Hall between the 22nd and 24th July 2011. These were intended to investigate the possible presence of an extension to the former Great Barn. Documentary sources indicate that the Great Barn was at least 17th century in origin, with a possible domestic section at the north end, complete with mullion windows, and a threshing barn to the south. Photographs indicate that the large projecting chimney stack at the north end also incorporated a corbelled chimney, indicating that the building originally continued to the north. This northern extension had, however, clearly been demolished by the middle of the 19th century. The rest of the Great Barn was demolished in the 1960s, the domestic part having been converted into additional animal housing in 1915. The excavation soon revealed that there were indeed the remains of a substantial building beyond the north end of the Great Barn as it stood until the 1960s, in the position anticipated to contain the remains of the extension. These comprised a thick well-built wall bonded with lime mortar, butting against which were two drystone walls, one leading north and one leading south. The earlier wall contained not only a small ‘alcove’ with splayed jambs, probably a window, but also the sill of a second lower level window to the east. It was apparent that when this extension had been demolished parts of the wall were incorporated into a new arrangement of field boundaries, while the rest was reduced to below ground level. The entire area had then been covered with dumped material, comprising a mixture of domestic rubbish and building waste, burying all of the walls. A second trench was excavated across a notable drop in the ground level to the north, which revealed a further section of the field boundaries, probably joining with that butting the north side of the early wall. The dating of the features encountered is difficult as the vast quantity of material dumped on top made fully exposing the walls difficult in the time available and finds of relatively late date were still being encountered in the deposits at considerable depth. However, it is likely that the earliest section of wall is of a similar date to that assumed for the Great Barn, 17th century or perhaps slightly earlier. The extension was certainly demolished by the mid 19th century, but its remains were apparently still being buried into the 20th century. |
| Author: |
Thomas Mace
Daniel W Elsworth
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| Publisher: |
Greenlane Archaeology Ltd
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| Year of Publication: |
2012
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| Locations: |
| Parish: |
Ulverston |
| County: |
Cumbria |
| District: |
South Lakeland |
| Country: |
England |
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Grid Reference: 328171, 477317 (Easting, Northing)
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
greenlan1-518283 |
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| Created Date: |
23 Aug 2023 |
