Coldwell and Trawden Raw Water Transfer Pipeline to Laneshaw WwTW, Lancashire, Archaeological Watching Brief

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by United Utilities to carry out an archaeological watching brief along the route of the Coldwell and Trawden water transfer pipelines. This follows a tract of land between Laneshaw Water Treatment Works (SD 9490 4110) and Coldwell Reservoir (SD 9001 3637), and Briercliffe Service Reservoir (SD 8590 3500) and Herd House Reservoir (SD 8920 3530).

A programme of desk-based assessment and walkover survey (OA North 2004a) was initially undertaken across the whole of the pipeline corridor to target areas of archaeological potential within the study area. The pipeline corridor was then subject to a further phase of archaeological works comprising of a series of evaluation trenches and a topographic survey (OA North 2006).

Following on from the results of these earlier works, the specialist advisor (Archaeology) at Lancashire County Archaeological Service (LCAS) then recommended that a watching brief be undertaken during the topsoil strip of pipeline routes. The watching brief was undertaken to identify and record any archaeological features located during the topsoil strip or those identified during previous surveys, and was conducted from March 2007.

The section of the pipeline discussed within this report is in the Wycoller area, which stretches from the immediate east of Trawden (SD 9250 3790) to the south-west of Laneshaw Wasterwater Treatment Works (SD9350 4070). The remainder of the pipelines has already subject to a separate report (OA North 2007). During the watching brief on this section of pipeline no archaeological features of any significance were observed.