The excavation of four trenches between 2013 and 2015 within the Dam Banks south sluice subsidiary pond revealed the even sloping base of the pond, and evidence for at least two attempt to build up the banks on either side of the pond. These construction events coincide with a build up of silt on the base of the pond, possibly due to a lack of use once the cotton mills went out of use in the 1830's when the mills were closed by Hopper, Glover & Co. After this time, Top Mill was retained as a corn mill, and the site may have been maintained to prevent flooding problems. A potential ditch and a posthole were revealed in section, which might relate to the funnelling of water to a trough which spanned the width of the south sluice, however, this interpretation remains speculative.