Land off Mowbreck Lane, Medlar with Wesham, Lancashire: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment

As part of pre-planning consultation for a proposed residential development on land off Mowbreck Lane, Medlar with Wesham, Lancashire, Greenlane Archaeology carried out a desk-based assessment of the site. The area forms an extension to the west of the original proposal area, for which a separate desk-based assessment had already been carried out.

The site is on the north side of Wesham, which largely developed as a result of the expansion of Kirkham following the arrival of the railway in the mid-19th century. However, archaeological evidence from the study area comprises stray finds from the Roman period onwards and elements of settlement are known to have existed from at least the post-medieval period, including a group of buildings formerly situated within the proposed development area in the 19th century named ‘Wesham Green Farm’.

The site visit identified few constraints to further archaeological work although it was apparent that the southern and central part of the proposed development site had been improved through ploughing and there were areas of wetland to the north. The central part of the site is truncated by the Hodder Aqueduct, which was built in the late 19th century. A previous site visit carried out during ground investigation revealed the active construction of field drains and presence of structures in the south-east corner.

The full report is available on the Archaeology Data Service website: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-700-1/dissemination/pdf/greenlan1-170087_1.pdf