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P0283 Land to the rear of St Andrewgate/Spen Lane
Excavations reached a maximum depth of 1.80m below ground surface. The earliest deposits excavated dated to the 12th century. These comprised a surface and build-up above it in the western part of the site, probably representing a period of neglect. The first indications of a building fronting St Andrewgate were the remains of a floor and an internal division. These dated to the 13th century. A timber fence line and dumped material including stable manure also dated to this period. In the later 13th/early 14th century over a widespread area material was allowed to accumulate and dumped prior to the renewal of structural activity. At the western end of the excavation two adjacent buildings fronting St Andrewgate were identified. A deliberate levelling of the whole area occurred in the 14th century. Domestic refuse was dumped and disposed of in pits. Further building, either two adjacent buildings or one divided building, fronting St Andrewgate, was identified, following similar alignments to earlier properties. The occupation of the building(s) continued through the 15th century and was represented by hearths, a series of floors and internal building divisions. Part of the building was used as an industrial workshop. Mould fragments suggested the casting of metal, and hammer scale indicated the use of an anvil. A pit feature may have acted as a quenching pit. Numerous internal alterations were made to the buildings though the medieval period. To the rear of these buildings a ditch was identified dating from the late 15th / early 16th century. It may have acted as a property boundary, or an open sewer, although its fill gives no evidence of this function and it appeared to have been deliberately backfilled in one operation. Pits were found in the area behind the buildings and suggest the relatively intensive use of the "backland" area for the disposal of rubbish, although traces of a structure in the form of beam slots were also identified in this area. In the mid 16th century a mortar and tile floor was introduced in the building fronting St Andrewgate which sealed the possible quenching pit. A cess pit or soak-away also dated to this period. Metal-working waste was found in an area which may have been the backyard of the re-organised building. Further structural alterations were made, including a substantial re-build of the building. Foundations which may have been the base for a sill beam supporting a timber-framed building were revealed. At some point after this alteration metal working was again carried out within the building. Occupation of the building continued through the 16th century and was represented by a series of mortar floors and hearths. In the area behind the property there was a rough uneven yard surface, evidence of pit digging, and a property boundary defined by a series of post-holes, which were replaced by a later series. In the late 17th/early 18th century these were backfilled and a widespread levelling deposit covered the eastern part of the site. Alterations and occupation of the building fronting St Andrewgate continued through the post-medieval period. A stone-lined well was encountered near the St Andrewgate frontage. In the modern period the area was occupied by a chemical factory, a building suppliers and a scrap yard. Watching Briefs : Timber building and road surfaces were observed in contractor's trenches in St Andrewgate, and demonstrated that in the Anglo-Scandinavian or medieval period St Andrewgate was narrower than the modern road. A medieval wattle-lined pit and a cobble surface were observed during a watching brief which confirmed that the area towards Spen Lane was open land to the rear of properties fronting St Andrewgate. A well was found which was similar to the one found within the main excavation. The watching brief carried out while pile holes were excavated collected evidence of mortared limestone structures and cobbles and clay c. 3-4m below the ground surface which were intepereted as likely to have derived from buildings and occupation dating from the Roman period. A horizon of organic deposits across the site probably represented evidence of Anglo-Scandinavian occupation. Deposits from the medieval period encountered during the piling were seen to be similar to those recorded more fully during the excavation and derived from street front occupation of St Andrewgate and Spen Lane together with the development of gardens and yards with associated dumping of domestic and industrial waste behind in both the medieval and post medieval periods.
A0585 7 Market Street / 1 Peter Lane
Walls relating to a post-medieval building and property boundary were recorded cutting build-up deposit thought to date to the medieval period.
A0454 18 Castlegate
Part of the timber framing of the building was recorded.
A0208 Coppergate/Piccadilly/Castlegate, watching brief
The principal Roman features encountered included the fragmentary remains of a largely robbed out stone building. This has tentatively been interpreted as a warehouse, on the basis of its proximity to the River Foss. Four pits and a linear feature were excavated. A red gritstone wall was observed in the Fossbank area. Its north-east/south-west alignment precludes it from being a riverside wall. A pit dated to the Anglian period which contained the Coppergate helmet was the only feature of this period. Buildings dating to the Anglo-Scandinavian period were found, including the western wall of a structure already identified in the main Coppergate excavation. Associated tenement boundaries and pits were recorded. The recorded medieval features included structural remains, fence lines, riverside reclamation, the outer defences of York castle, and parts of the cemetery of All Saints Pavement. From the post-medieval and early modern periods the most significant discoveries were parts of the cemetery of St Mary's Castlegate, traces of canalisation of the River Foss and part of the footings for the Victorian prison in the Castle Yard.