Finsley Gate Regeneration Works, Burnley Archaeological Watching Brief Report

An intermittent watching brief was maintained during groundworks conducted over the course of a year and a half, between the 25th November 2019 and the 13th May 2021, associated with the commercial development and enhancement of the Finsley Gate Canal Hub and associated buildings
and infrastructure. This was conducted as the site lies within the wider historic conservation area of Burnley and forms an integral part of the historic development of the town during the Industrial revolution. The watching brief monitored various works, both within several of the
preserved canal buildings, and their surrounding area, and identified numerous structural features across the site, which, based upon their form and materials of construction, primarily related to drainage and waste management systems associated with the original development of the site
during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, as well as later modern additions. In addition, the remains of a possible saw pit wasidentified within one of the upstanding buildings, while various wall foundations, floor surfaces and other features may have related to now demolished buildings within the complex, as well as external working areas, and included the remains of a potential winch or some other sort of machinery located nearer the canal edge. No features were identified that could conceivably pre-date the establishment of the canal hub and wider
system.