Dig will find links to Neston's past

May 14 2008 by Sue McCann, Neston News

ARCHAEOLOGICAL investigations have begun on land between Brook Street and Raby Road in Neston.

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 major development within the existing 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 thousand 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: “We are delighted to have commissioned AOC Archaeology, a 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 time-tabled to minimise any inconvenience to users of the car park and the weekly market.”