Heron Corn Mill, Beetham, Cumbria: Archaeological Watching Brief and Recording Survey

A programme of repair and refurbishment of Grade II* Listed Heron Corn Mill, Beetham (NGR SD 49621 79969: Fig 1) is being undertaken by Lambert Walker on behalf of Alan Gardner Associates. Due to the historic significance of the site, Alan Gardner Associates asked Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to undertake a site visit, watching brief and English Heritage building recording survey during the groundworks associated with the refurbishment. This was completed in accordance with standard OA North practices in July, August, and September 2013. The following report documents the results of the site visit and archaeological watching brief, and discusses them in their historical and archaeological context.
A visit to the site established that groundworks to the east of the mill building would not impact on any underlying archaeology. Further groundworks to the north-east and south-east of the barn also had low potential to impact on underlying archaeology. Excavations immediately adjacent to the barn remained within topsoil and were in an area of heavy root disturbance. In addition, this area had been the subject of an archaeological evaluation in 2006 and was found to have very low archaeological potential.