Wednesday, 17 February 2010

Digging Has Started

Since Rob's Heanor Tyres left Bridge Street, there has been a lot of digging activity on the yard and in the building, It looks like they've reached the foundations of the houses that used to be there.
I assume these may be the 'workers houses' referred to in the 'industrial archaeological interest' bit of the council papers:

.... 5. Derbyshire County Council - Development Control Archaeologist.

The Derbyshire County Council - Development Control Archaeologist has highlighted that the site is of industrial archaeological interest, both in terms of standing buildings and the potential for below ground archaeology relating to the early Vulcan Works. The proposed redevelopment of the site will clearly have major impacts on both standing buildings and below ground archaeology. The historic buildings/below-ground potential of the site can perhaps be assessed as of local/regional significance and the impacts of development should therefore be mitigated through a conditioned scheme of archaeological work, under the provisions of PPG16 and Policy EN31 of the Amber Valley Local Plan. The scheme of archaeological work should include:
1. An archaeological desk-based assessment of the site, including standing buildings, to establish areas of importance.
2. Building recording of standing buildings, where judged of importance.
3. Archaeological excavation of targeted areas within the Vulcan Works and perhaps also within areas of back-to-back workers' housing. This may involve an initial phase of trial trenching followed by larger scale excavation should results prove significant.
The Development Control Archaeologist has therefore recommended that a condition is attached to any planning consent to ensure that no development takes place within the site until the developer has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation (WSI) that is first submitted by the applicant and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Or of course they could be just be fixing the drains ...

2 comments:

  1. I keep hearing reference to the Vulcan Works without actually knowing what they did there.

    As someone approaching middle age (well, born in the early 80's) anything that was there before what is there now had probably gone before I came along, I find it all rather interesting.

    Can you enlighten me?

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  2. MIDDLE AGE!!! I'm only just approaching middle age - admittedly from the other direction.

    The only thing I know for definate about 'Vulcan Works' was the job that Mr Spock did on the Starship Enterprise [actually his father was a Vulcan, his mum was from Earth].

    From what I can make out the Vulcan Works were G.R. Turners who made railway wagons many moons ago - there's a mention of the company as far back as the end of the 19th century - yes this was even before I was born.

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Be nice, I'm very sensitive.