Ashton Hall Garden Centre, Ashton Hall, Ashton with Stodday, Lancashire- Watching Brief

A watching brief was undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) between 2nd and 16th of September 2004 at Ashton Hall Garden Centre, Ashton Hall, Ashton With Stodday, Lancashire (centred on SD 4612 5742), during the excavation of the foundations for the new retail space and the remodelling of the existing overflow car park. The work was commissioned by John Moore and Partners Architects Ltd, following a condition for the works attached to planning permission, based on a brief from Lancashire County Archaeology Service (LCAS).
The excavation of the foundation trenches and the scraping of the overflow car park only uncovered features and deposits relating to the use of the area as a walled garden in the nineteenth century, and its subsequent use as a garden centre, which carries on to the present day. The archaeology encountered, whilst of interest, is of local significance only and no recommendations were made for further archaeological assessment of the site.