Crump Weir, Little Bollington, Cheshire- Archaeological Investigation

In October 2008, Royal Haskoning UK Ltd, acting on behalf of the Environment Agency, commissioned Oxford Archaeology North to carry out a programme of archaeological investigation of land owned by The National Trust adjacent to Crump Weir on the River Bollin at Little Bollington, Cheshire (centred on SJ 7304 8704).
Crump Weir formed part of the water-management system for Little Bollington Mill, which occupies a site on the west bank of the River Bollin, within the county of Cheshire. Little Bollington Mill lies on the east bank of the River Bollin, in the county of Greater Manchester, and is entered on the Greater Manchester Historic Environment Record (HER No 3726).
In the first instance, an archaeological evaluation of the site was undertaken to establish the presence or absence of any buried remains of archaeological interest prior to the proposed construction of a fish passage around the weir. The evaluation was carried out in November 2008, and comprised the excavation of a single trench, measuring 9.6 long and 1.8m wide. No archaeological deposits or features were encountered in the excavated trench, the simple stratigraphic sequence comprising the natural clay geology, mottled sand subsoil, and topsoil. It was concluded that the construction of the proposed fish passage would not have any impact on any sub-surface archaeological resource of the area between the west bank of the River Bollin and Sutt Brook although, in accordance with the agreed project design, an archaeological watching brief was maintained during construction work. This targeted the river bank, and was intended primarily to establish whether the river channel had been lined with stone at this point.
The watching brief was maintained during February 2009, and monitored earth-moving works associated with the construction of the fish passage. No significant archaeological remains were exposed during the course of the watching brief, although a deposit of dumped stones, with occasional fragments of brick, probably represented an attempt to improve the river channel, and may have been associated with the construction of Crump Weir. The inclusion of hand-made brick fragments within the deposit of stone suggests a depositional date no earlier than the eighteenth century.