Hodder Service Reservoir and Access Works, Slaidburn, Lancashire- Watching Brief

United Utilities proposed the construction of a new service reservoir, access road and pipeline to the north of Slaidburn, Lancashire (centred on SD 7160 5410). As the scheme affects areas of archaeological potential, Lancashire County Council’s Archaeology Service (LCCAS) issued a short brief for a programme of archaeological investigation to be undertaken. Following a desk-based assessment, walkover survey, and topographic survey (OA North 2007), Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned to undertake an archaeological watching brief of the construction works.
Two areas of ridge and furrow (Sites 04 and 05) were directly impacted by the development, as the access road ran through both of these sites. Two former field boundaries (Sites 11 and 36) and a hollow way (Site 34), were also directly impacted upon by the proposed access road. All of these sites had been identified during the desk-based assessment, walkover survey, and topographic survey and no previously unknown features of archaeological interest were encountered during the watching brief. A layer of gravel within the field boundary of Site 36 suggested that a deliberate track surface might have been added to the partially filled ditch and the Ordnance Survey map of 1850 reinforced the suggestion that this had once been used as an access track. No previously unknown sites of archaeological interest were encountered during the watching brief.