Golden Lion, Church Street, Rainford, St Helens, Merseyside Archaeological Strip, Map and Sample Report

Oxford Archaeology (OA) North was commissioned by Crow Archaeology on behalf of Inventive Design Associates Limited (the Client) and JWPC Limited (the Client’s agent) to undertake a strip, map and sample exercise on land to
the rear of the Golden Lion, Church Street, Rainford, St Helens, Merseyside (NGR SD 47778 00731). The work was to be undertaken as part of improvement works to the pub, including the creation of a new carpark on rough pasture behind the building. The work was undertaken over a week in
January 2020.

The site had good potential for post-medieval remains, due to the presence of substantial dumps of waste ceramics, from nearby kilns, utilised in the levelling of tennis courts, 100m to the south of the site. The location of the kiln that produced the wasters is currently unknown, and there was potential that remains could have been found in the strip. Cropmarks were also observed to the south of the site, running in the general direction of the strip.

The strip, map and sample revealed negative results, there was no evidence of any ceramic wasters or the remains of a kiln. The topsoil did contain post-medieval
ceramics, glass and clay tobacco pipe, all dating to the late
nineteenth or twentieth centuries. This assemblage is suggestive of night soiling, due to its more domestic nature, unlike the assemblage recovered from the nearby tennis courts. Due to the negative results of the fieldwork, no further archaeological work is recommended.