21 Graham Street, Historic Building Record and Archaeological Evaluation

The programme of Historic Building Recording undertaken conformed to the Basic standard of Historic Building Recording, as defined by the Association of Local Government Archaeology Officers (ALGAO) Guidance. This provides a descriptive summary of the standing buildings as found, and a comprehensive photographic survey. The archaeological evaluation involved the excavation of trenches by machine in order to attempt to define and characterise the nature, extent and significance of buried archaeological remains. The trenches were sited so as to locate, if possible, any remains associated with the known footprint of the Old Bonnington House, in particular, as well as the general archaeological character of the site. Addyman Archaeology was contracted by Halewood International Ltd. to conduct an initial stage of archaeological mitigation at 21 Graham Street in advance of its redevelopment as a new distillery and visitors' centre. The archaeological works included a programme of Historic Building Recording and an archaeological trial-trench evaluation in order to assess the nature of buried assets on the site. The Historic Building Recording documented the three late 19th and 20th century industrial buildings standing on site and traces their major developments. Building 1 was constructed between 1894 and 1908 and was originally part of a separate yard for galvanising works. It was later converted to a vehicle repair yard and integrated with Buildings 2 and 3, with changes in its lighting, access and circulation patterns. Building 2 was recorded as the latest building to be constructed on the site, sometime before 1966. Building 3, at the far east end of the yard, was part of the Saw Mill and its fabric shows multiple modifications of access and use, ending as a toilet and boiler block. The archaeological evaluation of four trenches revealed Bonnington Saw Mill structures at the east end of the site; buried late medieval soils and features in the north of the site; and the remains of the demolished 17th century Bonnington Old House, demonstrating a high potential for the preservation of these periods within the footprint of Building 1, and to a lesser extent across the entire site.