York Archaeology Online Collections

Items

• P5584 Former Hostel & Haymarket Car Park, Dundas Street
• P1334 27 Lawrence Street, York
• P5031 Electricity Sub-Station, Silver Street
• P5003 Land adjacent to St. Saviour's Church, Hungate
• P1262 Former Walkergate Infants School, New Walkergate, Beverley
• P1015 The Spinney, Sherburn-in-Elmet
• P1057 Land at Ousegate, Selby
• P0887 Temple Point, Bullerthorpe Lane, Colton, Leeds
• P0854 Former D C Cook Garage
  The site of the former D.C. Cook car showrooms in Lawrence Street, York, was the subject of an archaeological evaluation in 2001 and an excavation early in 2003. Roman ditches were identified and excavated and there was some evidence, in the form of pottery, for the Anglian period (8th/9th century). The site appears to have been occupied from the 12th century and features of the medieval period included a large boundary ditch, a barrel lined well and an oven. During the post-medieval period evidence for activity on the site lessened considerably but a ditch and possible horticultural features were uncovered, as was much evidence for the 19th century and later use of the site. Investigation of plant and invertebrate remains gave a very rare view of rural conditions on the eastern edge of York.
• P0900 Lanf off Main Street, Knapton
  In January 2002, York Archaeological Trust undertook a programme of archaeological investigation of a small block of land at the northern end of Knapton Village, on the western edge of York. The evaluation consisted of the excavation of three trenches across the site. In Trenches 1 and 2 modern deposits were found to directly overlie the natural sub-soil and no features, structures, or deposits of archaeological significance were noted. In Trench 3 a thick deposit, probably a plough soil of medieval date, was noted. Two features, one a possible ditch or pit and the other an animal burial, were recorded from this trench but both are believed to be relatively modern. The evaluation found no significant evidence for activity of any major archaeological interest in the trenches examined and therefore across the whole site although it is possible that larger scale stripping of the topsoil might reveal some archaeological features.
• P1180 Cable Trench, Mount Terrace
  Natural deposits of firm brown clay were noted in all but Trench 1. Although no finds were recovered from the watching brief, all deposits and features overlying the natural were definitely or very probably modern in origin and associated with the installation of modern services. Nothing of notable archaeological significance was observed in any of the trenches.
• P1161 A614 Welham Bridge to Spaldington, East Riding of Yorkshire
  Between January and September 2004, York Archaeological Trust carried out an archaeological watching brief and two phases of excavation prior to the construction of the new road and bridge across the River Foulness at Welham Bridge (NGR SE 792 342). On the north side of the river close to the modern river bank the well preserved remains of trackway constructed of wattle hurdles and the remains of a log boat were excavated dating to c.7th century AD. On the south side of the river on a ridge of high ground a moated site with three phases of timber buildings within was excavated. The pottery from this site suggested a 13th 16th? century date. The moated sight had been heavily damaged by modern deep cross ploughing.
• P5461 Conisbrough Cemetery Extension, Sheffield Road, Conisbrough, South Yorkshire
  A 6 trench machine-excavated evaluation in the field immediately south-west of Conisbrough Cemetery identified natural glacial deposits and in one trench (#3) a double-ditch with a clay embankment, provisionally interpreted as the plough-truncated remains of the medieval deer park boundary. Also present down-slope of the boundary was a smaller ditch associated with two stone packed post-holes of unknown date. Up-slope from the boundary, a stone packed foundation of unknown date was also identified.
• P5424 Land to Rear of Festival Flats
  Evaluation (Ian Milsted): Two evaluation trenches encountered possible Roman terracing cut into natural deposits. Also present were a probable Roman ditch and occupation soil, which was truncated by medieval activity including rubbish pits which produced 11th-12th century pottery. A substantial 19th century ground make-up deposit sealed all earlier activity and there was some limited evidence of later structures. Watching brief (David Evans): During these works no finds were recovered. Due to a redesign of the construction of the new car parking area the only area where it was considered likely that any significant archaeology might be encountered was towards the base of the new ramp but examination of this area when exposed revealed that modern drains had removed most of any archaeology that may have been present. No features were observed here or elsewhere and the overall strip did not fully penetrate clearly modern deposits. A small amount of the medieval agricultural soil was removed during the excavation of the ramp but other than this it is not believed that archaeological deposits or features of any great significance were disturbed and features such as those recorded in the evaluation remain buried below the new car park.
• P5400 St Peter's School, Clifton, York
  Unfortunately it was not possible in the available time to even partially excavate any of the recorded features. Their stratigraphic position and clean backfills may indicate that they are of some considerable age but they cannot be accurately dated. There is certainly more than one phase of activity since it could be reasonably demonstrated that Context 1003 truncated Context 1001 and that Context 1007 was on a completely different alignment to 1003. Feature 1003 does run roughly parallel to the presumed course of RCHM Roman Road 5 which is meant to lie a short distance to the north-east of the old swimming pool and thus could possibly be Roman in date although it would be too wide for a roadside ditch and presumably had some other function. The possible pit, Context 1005, is also of interest since it suggests some form of static activity in the vicinity. It remains possible, then, that the features recorded during this watching brief are to be associated with some form of activity, possibly settlement, beside Roman Road 5. This form of activity has already been discovered in archaeological interventions in the Dringhouses area of York and if these features are part of something similar then roadside settlement along the Roman roads leading out of York may be more common than once thought.
• P5251 Utility trench, Robin Grove, York
  No finds were recovered from any of the trenches so any dating remains speculative. Context 1000 in Trench 4 and Context 1007 in Trench 16 were probably both natural and their relative proximity to the modern ground surface compared to the trenches in the gardens may indicate that topsoil has been brought in to raise the level of the gardens. The lower mid brown silts seen in Trenches 4 and 11 may be pre-modern agricultural soils although might be the product of modern landscaping. The possible ditch seen in Trench 16 is of some interest since it does seem to indicate that buried cut features can and do survive in the area which has been the subject of little or no archaeological recording in the past. Overall it would appear that the works have caused relatively little damage to the archaeology of the area and have provided a hint of the potential for remains of at least moderate archaeological interest surviving in this part of York.
• P5244 Sewerage Attenuation Tank, 28-40 Blossom Street, York
  ASSESSMENT A 2.8m deep excavation at 28-40 Blossom Street conducted between 30th June and 14th August 2009 encountered natural glacial deposits at 13.22-13.06m AOD, overlain by six phases of Roman activity dating from the late 1st to the late 4th centuries AD, 3 phases of medieval deposits and 2 phases of post-medieval and modern activity. Roman activity consisted of 1st/2nd century ditches and a small road, mid 2nd/early 3rd century levelling and possible industrial and funerary activity, major 3rd century levelling and possible structures and a mid/late 4th century clearance and building. Of specific interest are the early ditches which have potential parallels nearby, the possibility of mid2nd/early 3rd century funerary features given the proximity of the site to known cemetaries, and the apparent lack of any trace of the main road from Eboracum to Calcaria, thought to lie immediately north-west of the excavation. The absence of clear road-side structures akin to those encountered in earlier excavations in this area until the late 4th century building may have significance for future studies of this area. Also of interest is the extensive amount of material used in both phases of levelling, derived from a mixture of industrial, domestic and funerary sources, which have the potential to refine understanding of Roman activity in the wider Blossom Street area. Post-Roman activity was limited to evidence of 11th-13th century ‘back-land’ agricultural activity, overlain by 1m of medieval ploughsoil and the remains of nineteenth century buildings demolished in the 1960s. ANALYSIS The analysis phase of this investigation has resulted in a refinement of the original assessment phasing and interpretation. Activity commenced on this site with a late 1st/early 2nd century AD agricultural landscape, with a small road running perpendicular to the supposed main route into the civilian settlement from the south-west. The area south-west of this road was at the edge of a possible cremation cemetery in the early 3rd century AD, which seems to have gone out of use by the mid 3rd century, when a substantial levelling event using re-deposited 2nd century material occurred, with refuse pits and dumps, and a small post built structure with a cobbled surface was erected in the late 3rd century. This activity was then sealed by levelling deposits and the yard and post holes of a large timber building of early 4th century date. Its remains were heavily truncated by a clearance event in the late 11th century AD that removed any in-situ evidence for late and post-Roman activity, the presence of which was inferred from the quantity of residual material in later deposits.
• P0742 Hungate Development, Trench 25
  See 2000.1-14 YORYM One of 14 individual site codes of the Hungate Development.
• P0742 Hungate Development, Trench 8
  See 2000.1-14 YORYM One of 14 individual site codes of the Hungate Development.
• P0742 Hungate Development, Trench 24
  See 2000.1-14 YORYM One of 14 individual site codes of the Hungate Development.
• P0742 Hungate Development, Trench 20
  See 2000.1-14 YORYM One of 14 individual site codes of the Hungate Development.
• P0798/P0838 Land off Lord Mayor's Walk and Clarence Street
  The desk top study identified the likelihood that Roman and medieval remains would survive beneath the existing coach park surface but that there would have been significant truncation resulting from 19th century terraced housing on parts of the site. In the medieval period the site was part of the Horsefair but cartographic evidence suggests that at least one significant building may have stood on the site. An evaluative excavation on the site found residual Roman pottery suggesting the survival of Roman deposits below the level reached by excavation. Deposits up to 1.50m thick were dated to the medieval period. Some of this material represented plough soils. Part of this material may have been the upcast resulting from digging the city wall ditch, or alternatively may have resulted from cleaning the ditch out. Modern activity on the site was extensive. It was mainly in the form of the construction and subsequent demolition of buildings, known to be domestic housing. A brick culvert and a cellar associated with the Victorian housing on the site.
• P0782 Land off Wigginton Road and the A1237, Clifton Moor
  An evaluation excavation located two ditches, including the termination of one which may mark an entrance to the enclosure delineated by the ditch. These may have been evidence of Roman practice camps of which a number are known or surmised in the general area, although no dating evidence was recovered. The site appears to have been open ground until the present day and there was some evidence of agricultural use in the post-medieval and modern periods represented by field drains and a number of irregular features. A mortar and limestone deposit may have derived from construction activity associated with the use of the site as an airfield during and after World War II.
• P0771 90 The Mount
  An evaluative excavation demonstrated that c. 1m depth of Roman deposits are preserved in the area. In the medieval and post medieval period the area had been used for agricultural purposes and there were two ditches of medieval date which were thought to be larger than boundary markers.
• P0742 Hungate Development, Trench 19
  See 2000.1-14 YORYM One of 14 individual site codes of the Hungate Development.