21st August 2022
The site on Coronation Road, known as Central Buildings, has been derelict since 2006.
Plus Dane secured planning permission last summer to build 39 one and two bedroom apartments, designed by Halsall Lloyd Partnership architects and currently being constructed by Penny Lane Builders.
But before work could begin, the site had to undergo a scheme of archaeological investigation to identify anything of historical significance.
A team of archaeologists in consultation with Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service found items including pieces of pots dating back to the 17th century, along with some Victorian pottery and what was thought to be a medieval well.
The site is located in what would have been the heart of medieval Crosby, and it was initially thought the well was St Michael’s Well - a central location with a name that remains to this day - as marked on maps from the time.
One of Plus Dane’s Neighbourhoods Team, Steven Horton, is also a local historian. He researched the area’s historic maps and old newspapers to find out more about the area and now believes the well they found was likely for the private use of the landowner, rather than St Michael’s Well itself, which was communal.
Work was able to start again on site after two weeks.
Project manager Vikki Finnigan said: “It has been fascinating to get such an insight into what came before our development of this area, and now we can’t wait to play our part in what comes next - being able to provide some beautiful, much needed homes right in the town centre.”
Gerard McEvoy, managing director of Penny Lane Builders, agrees: “It has been a great experience supporting the team uncovering these pieces of Crosby’s history. It’s a particularly fortunate, exciting and interesting position for a contractor, to be a part of discovering a site’s past and being able to build its future.”
