Armistead Windfarm, Cumbria: Archaeological Watching Brief

Entec UK Ltd, on behalf of their client Banks Renewables, commissioned Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to undertake a watching brief during a phase of geotechnical site investigation (SI) works across the site of a proposed windfarm, near the village of Old Hutton, Cumbria (NGR centred on SD 58000 87000). Sites recorded on the Historic Environment Record for the area include a Bronze Age flanged axe find less than 1km to the north-east at Tarneybank Tarn (HER 16726), and Mansergh circular enclosure to the south-east (HER 4285), both from the prehistoric period. Sites dating to the post-medieval period include a stone quarry located in the site (HER 14161), and a plantation and chopwood kiln (HER 17892) situated just to the north; both are illustrated on the 1857 first edition of the Ordnance Survey map. Although the archaeological monitoring was not requisite under the planning conditions, it followed the best practice of Banks Renewables.