Esh Winning Industrial Estate, Esh Winning, Derwentside; Durham
NZ 1918 4221; Aaron Goode; evaluation; October-November 2005; EWG 05
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land adjacent to Esh Winning Industrial Estate, in the former colliery village of Esh Winning, County Durham. The commissioning client was Philadelphia Estates Limited and the site is proposed for development as a western extension to the existing industrial estate, which occupies land formerly occupied by Esh Colliery.
The highest potential for archaeological remains was probably for those of Roman date, since the Roman road, Dere Street, runs SE-NW along the side of the Deerness Valley to the north of the site. Dere Street was the principle road for much of the Roman period running from York to Hadrian's Wall and beyond. It is known that Dere Street does not cross the site, although it is possible that field systems associated with any roadside settlement could extend down the valley side. Esh Winning was established simultaneously with the opening of Esh Colliery in 1866, to house the miners and their families. It was one of a number of 'model colliery villages' constructed by the Quaker firm of Joseph Pease and Partners which mined and quarried extensively along the Deerness Valley. Esh Colliery closed in 1968, with much of the eastern side of the village being demolished thereafter.
The investigation comprised an initial geophysical survey of the undeveloped northern portion of the site and then eight linear trenches in the same area. Some trenches were sited to test geophysical anomalies possibly indicative of sub-surface archaeological features identified by geophysical survey, undertaken immediately in advance of the trial trenching, while the remainder were located on a judgement basis to provide sample coverage of the site.
No evidence for anthropogenic activity pre-dating late post-medieval agricultural usage of the site was recorded within any of the evaluation trenches.
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