York Archaeology Online Collections

Items

• P5344 City Walls, Lord Mayors Walk, Chainage 2100-2240, York
  In all of the trenches the depth reached could be shown to be greater than the point at which the lower, and presumably original, part of the City Wall was constructed. There was poor correlation between depth and date although upper deposits in most trenches did tend to produce a 19th or 20th century date. In Trench 1 Context 1017 produced only Roman pottery and tile and may possibly be the uppermost surviving part of the Roman rampart although its proximity to the base of the medieval wall could weigh against this. Alternatively it could be re used Roman material used to repair the rampart in the Viking age or Norman period. In Trench 2 the earliest deposit recorded, the pre-medieval wall rampart deposit Context 2004 was dated to the late 15th century. Since the lower part of the wall in this area should date to the 13th century this is a problem although the date was based on two small pieces of pot which could be intrusive or to extensive reworking of the rampart hereabouts, a view possibly supported by a later deposit being dated to the 18th century and an even higher deposit being dated to the late 12th century. The date of the masonry is uncertain but should be the same as the lower part of the wall and certainly earlier than the 18th century. It is therefore likely that it is part of the lost Tower 29. No dating material was recovered from any of the lower deposits within Trench 3. The late 17th date for 3012 may be inaccurate since it was believed that the original wall footings cut this deposit. Again intrusive pottery or reworking of the rampart at this point may be the explanation. This is almost certainly the case in Trenches 4 and 5 where Contexts 4001 and 5001 lay below the wall footings but produced pottery of the 19th / 20th century. In Trench 6 Contexts 6005 and 6006 produced Roman tile and Context 6005 a single sherd of undated gritty ware. Both deposits clearly pre dated the construction and as with Context 1017 may be part of the Roman rampart although as in Trench 1 these deposits are still quite close to the base of the medieval wall. Although a good amount of useful information was gained from these trial holes, including the probable site of Tower 29, important questions concerning the Roman gateway and adjacent defences remain unresolved. The only realistic way of answering the remaining questions would be a much larger and deeper trench or series of trenches along this section of the City Wall.
• P0646 York City Walls Chainage 2500-2586
  Archaeological observations were made during consolidation of York City Walls close to Jewbury on the eastern part of the walls. Stonework detail on 1:50 scale hard copy photogrammetric plots of the interior and exterior elevations were amended and detail added concerning stone types, offsets, cracks, mortar variations and vegetational growth. Records were also made of sub wall walk deposits where engineering works were carried out as well as of the lower parts of three exterior buttresses and three interior arcade piers, all the latter of which were underpinned. These observations demonstrated a complex sequence of wall building, re-building, repair, addition and restoration.
• P0557 York City Walls Chainage 3416-3479
  The external and internal faces of a section of the City Wall were recorded prior to its refurbishment.
• P0621 Bar Convent, Blossom Street
  A watching brief was carried out when foundation trenches for an extension to the kitchen of the Bar Convent were dug. Within these trenches much of the stratigraphy had been destroyed by modern service trenches but in situ deposits relating to agricultural and horticultural activity in the medieval and post medieval periods were recorded.
• P0548 York City Walls Chainage 1800-1900 and 2200-2245
  The external and internal faces of a section of the City Wall were recorded prior to its refurbishment.
• P0499 York City Walls Chainage 3000-3100
  The external and internal faces of a section of the City Wall were recorded prior to its refurbishment.
• P0491 Walmgate Bar
  Part of the medieval stonework of Walmgate Bar appears to have been rebuilt and restored. The upper courses are much more irregular and uneven and may date from the 19th century.
• P0375 York City Walls Chainage 492-587 (Tower 10)
  Observations were made during the excavation of 45 trenches dug through the wall walk revealed the medieval curtain wall to have a finely faced internal surface for part of its length. Alterations within Tower 10 suggest re-alignments of the curtain wall in the medieval period. The internal face of the curtain wall was recorded in advance of restoration.
• P0427 York City Walls Chainage 2919-3247
  This work recorded the curtain wall outer face. Re-building of part of it was thought to have occurred in the 19th century. Tower 37 had clearly been added at some point in the past, from the style of blockwork setting it may have been re-built in the 18th century.
• P0297 York City Walls Chainage 2773 (Tower 35)
  Observation during excavations to insert wall ties revealed a blocked arrow slit beneath the Victorian wall walk. Internal and external faces of the tower were recorded.
• P0276 York City Walls Chainage 2300-2400
  Observations during excavations to insert wall ties revealed earlier attempts to stabilise the wall and wall walk with brick and angle iron. Facing stones of the internal face of the curtain wall were revealed in places beneath the wall walk. Internal faces only were recorded.
• P0252 York City Walls Chainage 1919-1921
  Observations during restoration revealed Victorian reconstruction to create a wall walk obscuring the original internal face of the City Wall. The external face was also recorded.
• P0235 York City Walls Chainage 1700-1796
  A photograph record of the external wall face was made before and after conservation.
• P0202 York City Walls Chainage 1000-1017 (Tower 16)
  Observation during restoration revealed Victorian reconstruction to create a wall walk partially obscuring original internal faces of City Wall and Tower. Internal and external faces of wall and tower were recorded.
• P0147 York City Walls Chainage 949-1000 (Tower 15)
  Observation of a series of trenches into the wall walk revealed Victorian reconstruction to create a walk partially obscuring the original internal face of the City Wall and Tower.
• A0836 City walls, Monk Bar chainage 2272 - 2300
  Observations of a series of trenches to insert wall ties revealed post-medieval and modern rebuilds prior to the construction of the Victorian wall walk. The internal face only was recorded.
• A0848 City walls, chainage 2167-2215
  Observation during the removal and replacement of parts of the wall walk revealed the medieval curtain wall abutted by remains of post-medieval buildings, beneath a modern restoration. The wall walk was seen to be of Victorian date.
• A0845 City walls, buttress at chainage 693.1
  Observation of a trial hole adjacent to a buttress revealed rampart deposits to a depth of 0.50m, the depth of the foundations.
• A0876 City walls, chainage 2262-2384
  The external face of the City Wall was recorded prior to re-pointing, grouting and stone replacement.
• A0872 City walls, buttress at chainage 1681.8
  Observation of a trial hole to examine buttress foundations revealed rampart make-up at a depth of 0.50m.
• A0862 City Walls, Paragon Street, chainage 3200-3240.8
  Observations during the insertion of wall ties beneath the wall walk revealed the roughly cut back core of the medieval wall sealed by Victorian wall walk construction material.
• A0857 City Walls, Paragon Street, chainage 3061.8-3089
  A record of the lower courses of the external face of the curtain wall was made in advance of re-pointing and stone replacement.
• A0856 City Walls, Paragon Street, chainage 3317-3324
  A record of the lower courses of the external face of the curtain wall was made in advance of re-pointing and the insertion of doweling rods.
• A0853 City Walls, Jewbury chainage 2531.2
  A record of a buttress against the external face of the city wall made in advance of its repair.
• A0798 City Walls, Walmgate to Fishergate, chainage 3100-3200
  Observations during the insertion of wall ties beneath the wall walk revealed the roughly cut back core of the medieval wall sealed by Victorian wall walk construction material. The internal face of the curtain wall was recorded.