Kirkby Stephen To Midland Cottages WwTW, Cumbria- Evaluation

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by United Utilities to carry out an archaeological evaluation along the route of a transfer pipeline during July and November 2006. Following the results of the earlier desk-based assessment and walkover survey (OA North 2005), the Cumbria County Council Historic Environment Service (CCCHES) recommended that a further stage of evaluation was necessary, comprising a series of both targeted and randomly-located evaluation trenches. The evaluation programme covered a 1km corridor of land around the proposed pipeline route from Kirkby Stephen to Midland Cottages Waste Water Treatment Works, Cumbria (NY 7716 0760 to NY 7621 0678).
The six sites initially identified during the desk-based assessment and walkover survey were initially to be targeted by five trenches, and a further six were located sporadically along the pipeline easement to achieve the most extensive coverage possible of the study area. The Roman road (Site 01), a mound (Site 54) and the enclosures (Sites 33, 34 and 53) were investigated by means of the evaluation trenches but it was considered that two proposed trenches, which traversed the park enclosure (Site 30), would have represented a risk to public safety and, as such, the position of these two was relocated to alternative locations which best covered the remaining study area.
The results of the evaluation trenching demonstrated that the area is largely devoid of archaeological features. Land drainage was observed in most of the trenches, and there was some evidence for piecemeal stone extraction having occurred in parts of the study area since the late medieval period. The evaluation trenching revealed nothing of any considerable archaeological significance.