Crewe Green Link Road South – Heritage Gazetteer Site Site name Designation Value NMR / HER Description number reference 1 Crotia Mill Farm None Medium 4036-1-1-3 Crotia Mill. Possibly first mentioned in 14 th century as "le moleyn de schawe" . Called Cowshall Mill on Bryant's map (1831) and Crowfall/Crowshall on Tithe Map. Shown on various county maps - Burdett 1775 to Bryant 1831. Near Mill Field and Mill Meadow are named on the Basford Tithe map. Mill is labelled as Flour mill on 1st edition 6 inch OS map (c 1872) and Corn mill on 3rd edition 25 inch OS map (c 1910) [Cheshire Historic Environment Record]. Documentary sources suggest Crotia Mill Farm may have medieval origins and cartographic evidence places it in the 18th century at least. The present buildings appear to be mid-late 19th century in date. The farm operated as a corn mill until c.1940- 1960. Although the external appearance of the standing buildings on the site are 19 th century, they are very likely to be on the site of an earlier, probably 14th century, water mill which is referred to in documentary sources [Frost 2010, 11.3] Mill complex comprises a two-storey L-plan farmhouse, erected in two phases, constructed in brick with plain tile roof, with single- storey outbuildings to the north. A yard is located to the south of the farmhouse, enclosed by a two-storey farm building providing cowhouse, stables and hay loft to the south, cart shed to east, both of red brick construction, and mill building to the west. The mill building is constructed of brick and results from multiple phases of construction. An arched opening is located in the southwest corner of the building for mill lade and a sluice is still present against north elevation. Externally buildings appear to be of 19 th century date. Mill reached along tree-lined drive from Mill Lane. The former mill pond and head race are now infilled (Assets 2, 15 and 17). Surrounded by fields which are enclosed by hawthorn hedges interspersed with trees. Road noise from the A500 clearly audible within the complex. Views towards modern structures such as lighting towers at Basford Sidings and light industrial buildings is possible above trees in middle distance. [S Honeywell site inspection 03/10/12] 1 Site Site name Designation Value NMR / HER Description number reference 2 Tailrace of Crotia Mill None Low N/A Cartographic evidence indicates that the tailrace from the mill runs north to meet Basford Brook (part of the system of 4036/1/3 millrace [Asset 15]). The proposed spur road that runs east from the internal roundabout crosses the alignment of the tail race. The feature is recorded by the OS in 1882, but appears to have fallen out of use by 1954. The existence of the feature as a man- made structure / earthwork is uncertain and a previously existing stream / ditch / field boundary may have been utilised. The site visit by Adams in 2000 identified the feature and made similar observations about its origins. On the day of the site visit, the possible alignment was covered with surface water, which may have masked earthwork evidence of the feature, if existing. [Frost 2010, 11.4] 3 Ridge and Furrow None Low N/A Area of ridge and furrow identified on an aerial photograph dating Earthworks from 1947 of unknown date. [Frost 2010, 10.1; 11.8] 4 Waterlogged Timbers None Low N/A During preparations for a temporary bridge across the Basford (Findspot) Brook (Site 4), horizontal waterlogged timbers were recorded together with vertical tree roots below a layer of alluvial silt. The timbers were not dated and were left in situ below the works. [Pers Comm M Leah] 5 Heavy Anti-Aircraft None Negligible 4121-0-1 Destroyed Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery. C H3 (1). Earliest Battery (Site of) reference - 2 December 1940, latest reference - 22 June 1942. It had 4 x 3.7inch (static) guns and had a GL MkII Fire-control radar installed by 22 June 1942. It was number 332 Battery run by number 106 Regiment. Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery first documented in December 1940. The last reference was in June 1942. It had two guns which were assisted by radar. Anti aircraft batteries are sites where guns are placed with the purpose of shooting down enemy aircraft. They could contain large calibre guns such as modified artillery cannons (Heavy anti aircraft sites), or small calibre guns such as machine guns (Light anti-aircraft sites), or a combination of both. These sites often survive as earthworks and in some cases the concrete structure of the heavy sites are well preserved. [Cheshire Historic Environment Record] 6 Firtree Cottage Grade II Medium 1138478 / 4205 Estate Cottage. Dated 1865, By William Nesfield. Red English 2 Site Site name Designation Value NMR / HER Description number reference Listed bond brick with fishscale tile hanging and a plain tile roof. Building Entrance front: projecting wing at right with a square bay window to the ground floor of four casement lights. Jettied first floor above this supported on moulded wooden brackets resting on stone corbels. The first floor is tile-hung with hammer-headed tiles which are bellcast to their lower edge. To the centre are two 2-light casement windows with a central cement panel between which is the size of one of the lights. This has incised pargetting with the date AD/1865 to the top and below it the initial C (Crewe) surmounted by a coronet. The balls of the baron’s coronet are formed of green glass bottlenecks and the panel has floral patterns to the outer edge. Half-hipped roof above with a massive three-flue chimney stack to the ridge. To the left of this wing and recessed is a lean-to porch with a basket arched doorway at right and a cusped lancet light to the left with bulls eye glass panes. The left hand side has a projecting wing at left with a 5-light ground floor casement window and above it a 4-light casement window to the first floor which is hung with hammer-headed tiles bellcast to their lower edge. The gable has incised pargeting showing sunflowers and foliage, a rising sun motif to the centre and pies to the apex. To the right of this projecting wing is the side of the lean-to porch which has two rectangular panels of incised pargetting showing floral motifs again set with bottlenecks and a bottle bottom of green glass which at the time of the resurvey (1985) had unfortunately been overpainted. Service court to rear. [Listed Building description] Cottage set within private garden to the south of Weston Road, close to the boundary of Crewe Hall Park. Mature woodland surrounds garden and screens the cottage from modern commercial development to the west. Noise and visual intrusion on setting results from traffic levels on Weston Road. Relationship to Crewe Hall understood in proximity to the parkland and unity and sympathy of design with other estate buildings in the area [S Honeywell site inspection 03/10/12]. 7 Flint Tool (Findspot) None Low 4667 Dark grey flint tool 42mm x23mm, dating from the Neolithic- 3 Site Site name Designation Value NMR / HER Description number reference Bronze Age period. It is an irregular triangular shape in plan. It has been worked on most edges and is very worn on the 2 long sides particularly. With just a single piece of flint it is very hard to date to a specific period. They are useful to tell us there was prehistoric activity in that area but it cannot be narrowed down without more evidence. [Cheshire Historic Environment Record] 8 Copper Handle None Negligible 4665 Specific landuse: Character undetermined. Cast copper alloy (Findspot) handle, probably from a candle snuffer or a pair of scissors. It consists of a sub-circular loop with moulded decoration and a square sectioned handle 39mm x 35mm x 5mm. This item will date from the seventeeth to nineteenth centuries. [Cheshire Historic Environment Record] 9 Signpost Grade II Medium 1137242 / 4208 Signpost. Late C19/early C20. Cast iron. Octagonal post with four Listed sign boards. The post diminishes in girth via a moulded juncture Building and there is a similar moulded juncture below the sign boards and a finial above them. The north-western board reads CROTIA MILL, that to the north-east CREWE, that to the south-east WESTON and that to the south-west reading SHAVINGTON AND/NANTWICH. [Listed Building description] 10 Heath Farm None Low N/A Buildings shown on first edition 6” Ordnance Survey map of Cheshire, published in 1882. Built on site of earlier building. Formerly named as West Common. T-plan two-storey farmhouse, constructed in red brick with pitched slate roof, with segmental headed casement windows. To east is an enclosed farmyard, flanked by one and two-storey farm buildings, now converted to residential use. Complex enjoys a rural setting close to the village of Weston. The A500 now forms a noticeable element within its setting. {S Honeywell site inspection 03/10/12] 11 Brook House None Low N/A Buildings shown on first edition 6” Ordnance Survey map of Cheshire, published in 1882. Two-storey brick cottage of three bays, with segmental-headed window openings and raised gables over each bay. Single- storey timber-framed structure remains to the south of the cottage. Quiet rural setting, to the south of Weston Lane. 12 Dairy House Farm None Low N/A Farm complex first shown on the 2 nd edition 6” Ordnance map of Cheshire, published in 1899.