Vale Royal Great House, Cheshire. Interim Report

A survey of Vale Royal House, Cheshire (Grid Reference SJ 6390 6985) was undertaken from the 13th March to the 13th. April 1995 by staff of Lancaster University Archaeological Unit. The survey was conducted in advance of repair and conversion works on the behalf of DHC (Bradford) Ltd.
The intention of the survey was to record the fabric and structure of the building in order to augment previous surveys and to provide a basis for analysis and interpretation of the structural sequence. Architectural details, including structural elements, were annotated onto plans produced by TACP Design and monochrome prints and scale photographs were taken of selective features. A pro-forma recording system was used to organise room-by-room descriptions. An instrument survey was conducted of the exterior of the building, to provide accurate coordinates which will facilitate the plotting to scale of the rectified photographs.
The survey has provided an invaluable opportunity to examine the fabric of Vale Royal House, at a time when the majority of the structure has been exposed, being free from plaster and render. However, some areas of the building were inaccessible at the time of the survey, in particular the Douglas Wing and the West Range roof; these areas have been only briefly mentioned in the report.