Washington Square, Workington, Cumbria- Evaluation

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by Thomas Armstrong (Construction) Ltd on behalf of Harrison Developments Ltd to undertake a programme of archaeological work at Washington Square, Workington, Cumbria (NGR NY 0039 2862) prior to re-development (planning reference: 02/02/1038). The proposals involved demolition and redevelopment of the St John’s Shopping Precinct and surrounding buildings. The archaeological investigation required a programme of evaluation trenching, following the results from a desk-based assessment undertaken in December 2002 (OA North 2002) wherein areas of moderate or high archaeological potential were identified as covering mainly the north-east quarter of the development site. Consequently, Cumbria County Historic Environment Service (CCCHES) requested that these areas should be targeted with trenching to assess the survival of archaeological remains.