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Archaeology in Worcester
1997/ 99 - Industrial Monuments
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A watching brief was carried out by Worcestershire County Archaeological Service during summer 1998 at Powick Weir (WCM 100413), during the construction of a new weir by the Environment Agency. The weir lies on the River Teme. This was the second phase of investigation of the site. In 1996 the surviving visible portion of the old weir was recorded. Reduction in water level for the construction of the new weir allowed this record of the ruined structure to be enhanced prior to demolition. It was also possible to record the positions of timber piles in the river bed which were the surviving remnants of the old weir to the south-west of the structural remains. The watching brief did not, however, alter the interpretation of the phases of construction of the weir determined in 1996. Ten reused hearth bottoms formed part of the weir structure, and these were recorded; three were retained, and will be available for future study at Worcester City Museum. These would have been waste material produced by Powick Forge; this is known to have been a water-powered finery forge from the early 18th century onwards, and the hearth bottoms probably derive from this activity. The buildings of the late 19th century hydro-electric power station known as Powick Mills have been converted to housing. Only very minor structural alterations have been made to the buildings, which did not contain any original machinery, apart from a gantry crane which is to be displayed in front of the development. A watching brief (WCM 100608) concentrated on service trenches to the north-east of the power station, away from the main areas of earlier activity (medieval corn mills and a post-medieval iron forge), which lay largely to the south-west of the Laughern Brook. |
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