Orchard Street Wing, Churchgate Mill, Lavenders Brow, Stockport. Archaeological Building investigation

The Orchard Street Wing was originally a four-storey block, but was reduced to two storeys during the 1860s. A small outbuilding was added during the late nineteenth century, wrapping around the south-west corner. The block was further reduced to a single storey in the 1960s, and a modern steel roof fitted. The southern wall of the building was also rebuilt, and a loading bay door inserted. Most recently, between 2005 and 2009, the boiler house was demolished and its site used as a car park.
Following consultation with the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (GMAAS), which provides planning advice for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, it was recommended that an archaeological building investigation commensurate with and English Heritage Level 2/3-type survey would form an appropriate scheme of mitigation. In September 2011, Oxford Archaeology North
(OA North) was commissioned by Seddon Construction Ltd to carry out the required scheme of works.
Very little of the original building survived, although elements of the west and east elevations, and the party wall with the adjacent mill to the north, represented historic
fabric. The roof, floor and all internal features, however, had been removed or replaced since the 1960s, with little evidence for its former use for textile manufacturing or its associated power systems.