ARS Ltd. has recently completed aerial mapping of 206km2 of Lancashire on behalf of Historic England. This has uncovered a wealth of archaeology dating from the Bronze Age through to the Cold War. The study utilised around 6000 photographs dating back to the end of the Second World War, as well as Lidar and Google Earth imagery. As a result of the study 387 new records for sites were created in addition to updates on a further 27 records.
A number of important new sites were discovered as part of the project. A large Iron Age/Roman curvilinear enclosure was discovered on what was previously thought to have been a naturally occurring low knoll. This site could have been utilised in numerous ways: as an enclosure for livestock management, or perhaps even as a fortified site. A stretch of Roman road connecting Ribchester and Kirkham furthers our understanding of Roman military strategy during Agricola’s conquest of the north-west of England.
The discovery of a medieval nucleated settlement in the parish of Grimsargh, an area where settlement is now characterised by dispersed farms, provides an opportunity to understand why villages were abandoned in the region during and after the medieval period.
The project also comprehensively mapped Second World War structures including air raid shelters and airfields in and around Blackpool, a town that made an important contribution to the war effort through the production of Wellington bombers and the training of aircrew.
This study has added considerable new data and knowledge of the archaeological record for Lancashire. To read the report in full and find out about the new discoveries please click here.