500 Years of River Management of the Dove Valley, along the Border of Derbyshire and Staffordshire

In 2020 an opportunity to investigate a substantial water management feature was presented during work to improve biodiversity and fish passage along the catchment of the River Dove. The project was designed and funded by the Environment Agency, with archaeological monitoring by CFA Archaeology Ltd and York Archaeology. Such projects remove ‘obstructions’, usually represented by much-adapted weir and channel structures, which are often encased in concrete , disguising earlier phases. The removal of the concrete weir at Dovecliff, Egginton, Derbyshire demonstrated the survival of an earlier wooden weir and afforded an opportunity to develop strategies to record such remains during a river restoration project. The logistical challenges of working within an active watercourse often mean such structures only receive remedial recording. The project demonstrated that using a combination of techniques allows insights into valley floor palaeoeconomy and industry, and records the challenges faced by the communities who managed these important landscapes in the past.