Area of Phase 2 Extraction, Peel Place Quarry, Holmrook- Evaluation

Tarmac Ltd and Tendley Quarries Ltd have been given planning consent to undertake the next phase of extraction works, Phase 2, on the western extension at Peel Place Quarry, Holmrook, Cumbria (centred NGR NY 06640 01228), following the submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (planning application reference 4/04/9011). Previous archaeological investigations that have been undertaken include a magnetometer survey, a desk-based assessment, a walkover survey and two phases of evaluation trenching. These have shown that, whilst the soils are not responsive to a magnetometer survey and that there has been little of archaeological significance identified in the limited excavation to date, there is still archaeological potential across the site due to the number of prehistoric spot finds that were identified in the desk-based assessment. As a result, Cumbria County Council’s Historic Environment Service (CCCHES) advised the mineral planning service that a condition should be imposed on the planning consent to undertake an archaeological evaluation prior to the commencement of any groundworks for each phase of extraction. Consequently, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) were commissioned to undertake the required archaeological work in March 2008 and carried out the works in April 2008.
Seventeen evaluation trenches were mechanically excavated to the top of the natural geology, which consisted of a mixture of sands and gravels. The trenches were generally 15-30m long and 2.3m wide and the maximum excavated depth was 1.17m