Old Abbey Farm, Risley, Warrington Borough, Building Survey and Excavation at a Medieval Moated Site

During the 1990s Lancaster University Archaeological Unit (LUAU) carried
out a large-scale programme of archaeological investigation on behalf of UK
Waste Management Limited, at Old Abbey Farm, Risley, Warrington
Borough. The farm was the site of a moated platform, thought to be medieval
in origin; a Listed seventeenth century brick farmhouse stood on the platform,
and a Listed brick barn was sited a short distance to the south-west, beyond
the line of the moat. Archaeological investigation of the site began in 1990,
following an application to extend the adjacent landfill facility. The fabric of
the farmhouse and barn was evaluated, several trial trenches were cut by
machine, and the potential of relevant documentary sources was assessed.
Subsequently, planning permission for the landfill extension was granted and
Listed Building Consent gained for the demolition of the structures, and a
programme of archaeological recording was put in place to allow the
‘preservation by record’ of the site.