1 Oldfield Drive, Heswall, Wirral Archaeological Watching Brief Report

Oxford Archaeology (OA) North was commissioned by The Environment Partnership to undertake an archaeological watching brief during topsoil stripping for the development of an apartment building at 1 Oldfield Drive, Heswall, Wirral (SJ 2610 8279).
The work was undertaken as a condition of Planning Permission (planning ref. APP/21/00229). The planning condition and e-mail correspondence with the client highlighted the requirement for an archaeological watching brief following the demolition of the existing dwelling on the site. OA North were subsequently commissioned to produce a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) and undertake the required fieldwork, which took place over 2 days: on
the 8th and 9th November 2021.
The topsoil and subsoil were stripped from the area to natural geology prior to the arrival of an archaeologist, the stripped area was also partially covered by a layer of stone, obscuring the stripped surface. The natural geology that was visible displayed no evidence of archaeological remains. An area of intact topsoil at the southern end of the site was stripped to natural geology under constant archaeological monitoring. A test-pit was excavated at the northern end of the site to a depth of 1m where natural geology was encountered, there was no evidence of archaeological remains.