SNN110597 - 25 Station Road, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Investigation, November 2016

An archaeological investigation was carried out during groundwork preparation for four new dwellings on land at 25 Station Road, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire. The investigation was undertaken by Souterrain on the 23rd of August and the 8th of September 2016. The Application Site is an area of c. 680 sq. m close to the centre of the town. Between the late 19th century and the late 20th century the site was occupied by factory buildings of the leather-dressing and footwear industry. On account of its proximity to sites where significant archaeological discoveries have been made, the Application Site was considered to have potential for the survival of buried remains dating from the prehistoric to medieval periods. The archaeological investigation did not reveal any features or deposits of prehistoric to medieval date. Neither were any artefacts of any period present. The construction of the factories had undoubtedly caused severe truncation of the ground throughout the Application Site. A brick-built structure was exposed in a foundation trench dug at at the northeast end of the site. The structure is understood to have been the stand for a heavy machine used in a late 19th century leather-dressing factory. The areas of ground investigation were surveyed and photographed, sample cross-sections of ground deposits were drawn, and the height of the geological horizon recorded.