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Archaeological investigations start in Neston

Archaeological investigations have started on land between Brook Street and Raby Road in Neston.

Excavation in Brook Street car park

The work is being carried out by AOC Archaeology on behalf of Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council and is designed to establish whether archaeological remains are present on the site.

This information will be used in connection with the planning application that has been submitted for the major development within the present car park. It will establish whether more extensive archaeological work would be needed, if planning permission was granted.

Fragments of memorial stones from the parish church suggest that there has been a settlement at Neston for at least a thousands years and examination of early maps and other documentary evidence indicate that the western part of the car park, behind the High Street, lay within the original settlement area.

Investigation of sites elsewhere in the locality suggest that, if archaeological remains are present, they will consist of pits, gullies, boundary ditches, and postholes cut into the natural sandstone, which is known to lies just beneath the modern ground surface. Typically, finds might include pottery, animal bones, and other material discarded by Neston's previous inhabitants.

Jane Williamson, the borough council's Head of Property/Support Services said: ""EPNBC are delighted to have commissioned AOC Archaeology, a local firm based in Tattenhall, to undertake the archaeological evaluation of the site at Neston.

"The historical heritage of the town and indeed the Borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston are taken very seriously and any findings of importance will be communicated to the public. At this stage of the work, the investigations will be limited to a total of four separate trenches. The location of the individual trenches and the timing of their excavation have been timetabled to minimise any inconvenience to users of the car park and the weekly market."

Step and cobbling, c1680

An initial trench dug on the Brook Street side of the car park (see picture top right) has yielded some interesting results already.

Due to be re-filled on the afternoon of May 15th, the trench has exposed what appears to be a step and some cobbling (see picture, left), believed to date back to around 1680.

A further trench will be dug week commencing May 19th, on the Raby Road side of the car park.

Evidence gathered from the two exporatory digs will be forwarded by the archaeologists to all parties concerned with the potential re-development of the site, so that decisions can be reached on whether to implement a full excavation of one or both of the areas prior to any re-building at the location.

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