Buttermere Pipeline, Cumbria- Watching Brief

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North), in its former guise as the Lancaster University Archaeological Unit (LUAU), undertook a watching brief in September 2001, along a route between Scale Hill, north of Crummock Water (NY 149 215), and Buttermere village to the south to Buttermere (NY 189 173) in Cumbria. The work was undertaken on behalf of Ryan Utility Services.
The aim of the watching brief was to record any significant deposits uncovered during minor excavations associated with the installation of a new water supply. Several features were found along the 4km length of the pipeline, including three ‘earthfast’ walls; one organic deposit (most probably the remains of a small pond associated with a complex of structures including leats, as yet not fully understood or surveyed, in Lanthwaite Wood); one small pit / post hole; numerous land drains; three charcoal-rich features, and one slag-rich pit. The latter features were of most importance, seemingly part of small-scale industrial activity within the Buttermere valley. There appeared to be possible evidence of charcoal production of unknown date, although one charcoal-rich pit predated a Parliamentary Enclosure wall. The slag-rich pit and metal residues recovered from the topsoil stripping included iron but there were also other metals present.