An Archaeological Desk-Top Study of Land at Avenue Works, Wingerworth, Derbyshire

This desk-top study has been commissioned by Fitzwise Ltd of Troughbrook Road, Hollingwood, Chesterfield. It will form part an environmental assessment, to be submitted with a planning application for the reclamation of the Avenue Coking Works and opencasting for coal. The aims of this desk-top study are to: a) Identify and application area. evaluate any potential archaeological remains within the b) Assess the likely impact of development, including open-cast coal extraction, over the whole site. c) Make recommendations as to mitigation measures in the event of the development proceeding, so as minimize any adverse archaeological impacts upon known or suspected archaeological remains. In this report a thorough review of archaeological and historical sources has been presented. Existing evidence for finds made within the application area has been found wanting; being largely derived from re-deposited finds and or uncorroborted field observations. The principle concern, that the development area may contain the remains of the Roman road Ryknield Street, is arguably unproven. Field evaluation which might involve prospection for the line of the road, would be hampered by the extent of past development. One of the key problems facing archaeological fieldwork is the uncertain extent of previous surface and sub- surface coalmining: which may also render work unacceptable hazardous. The construction of the Avenue Coking Plant in the early 1950s will have further damaged any archaeological remains present, most likely removing them Again, prospection within the area of the works might be an completely. unjustifiably hazardous, and expensive undertaking. It is possible that archaeological remains are contained within the alluviated floodplain of the River Rother. The extent of these remains, and quality of preservation is impossible to judge; and again depends largely upon the extent of previous mining and related activities. Recent work has nevertheless shown the potential for observations in river valley bottoms for the examination of environmental change and past human activity, particularly in the earlier prehistoric periods (Evans, 1992: 47-53). Ifthe proposed development is likely to affect Holocene stratigraphy within the river then a programme of palae- environmental sampling should be considered.