Transect Through Time: The Archaeological Landscape of the Shell North Western Ethylene Pipeline

In 1988 the Lancaster University Archaeological Unit was commissioned by Shell Chemicals UK Ltd to carry out a phased archaeological assessment of the English sector of a proposed pipeline route. The North Western Ethylene Pipeline was designed to carry ethylene from Grangemouth m Scotland to the existing Shell refinery facilities at Stanlow in Cheshire.

The archaeological studies commenced with desktop assessments in 1988-1989, followed by intensive field work in 1990-1991, post-excavation analysis in 1992, and a written synthesis in 1993-1994. The earlier phases of work comprised archive research, fieldwalking, and aerial photography, and further work at selected sites included topographical survey, geophysical survey, trial trenching, and excavation m several key areas. Construction of the pipeline took place between May and November 1991, and was monitored by archaeological line inspectors conducting a continuous watching brief, supported by a rapid response team equipped to survey or excavate features discovered during construction.

The pipeline route traversed all five counties of North West England, but the main thrust of the work programme focused on Cumbria, where four sites of local, regional, and national significance were excavated prior to construction, at Hadrian's Wall, Fremington, near Penrith, Powsons, and Low Borrowbridge, both in the Lune gorge south of Tebay. In addition, the intersections with two Roman roads were recorded during pipeline construction, at the Stanegate, south of Hadrian's Wall, and the main road north from Ribchester to Carlisle, at Sproatgill near Orton.

This monograph presents a chronological account of the phased work programme and techniques employed, describes all the sites briefly in relation to the topography of the pipeline route, and provides a more detailed study of the Lune gorge, an area substantially affected by the pipeline and other major route-ways. There are full reports of the excavations at Hadrian's Wall, the Roman cemetery at Low Borrowbridge, an early medieval settlement at Fremington, and a medieval farmstead at Powsons.