Land at Oldport Farm, Oswestry, Shropshire. Archaeological Evaluation.

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) were commissioned by GF Kempster and Son to undertake archaeological evaluation trenching of an area of land proposed for light industrial, with some residential, development. The area consisted of five parcels of mixed-use agricultural land (Areas A-E) at Oldport Farm, Shropshire (centred NGR SJ 299307). The site is considered to have a high archaeological potential as it is overlooked from the north-west by the Scheduled Monument of Old Oswestry Iron Age Hillfort and the linear earthwork known as Wat's Dyke (SM 27556). The Historic Environment Officer (HEO) at Shropshire County Council (SCC) advised that a programme of archaeological evaluation would be required to inform the planning process. Therefore, a desk-based assessment was initially undertaken by Castlering Archaeology (2006), acting as archaeological consultant to the client, wherein no other archaeological sites were identified within the study area besides the Hillfort,
and the Vyrnwy Water Pipeline built in 1888 to supply Liverpool.
Furthermore, a geophysical survey was carried out by GSB Prospection Ltd in 2007, of which the results were used to inform the location of 24 trial trenches stipulated by the HEO SCC. However, Areas A and B (Trenches 1-8 and 23), situated to the west of the Gobowen Road running northwards through the proposed development area, were subsequently omitted from this phase of work as the planning proposals had been temporarily suspended for these two areas. The remaining 15 trial trenches in Areas C, D and E (Trenches 9-22 and 24) were excavated between 8th and 17th June 2009.