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P0383 St Mary's Abbey Precinct Wall
Two buttresses were added to the Marygate face of St Mary’s Abbey Precinct Wall, requiring archaeological excavation as a condition of Scheduled Monument Consent. In each a well-built vertical wall continued below the depth of buttress construction to at least 1.5m beneath the modern ground-surface, with consolidated ramparting against the outer face. A cobble surface which may have been a pathway was encountered and was sealed by a build-up deposit, both of these were thought to be of medieval date. A limestone and cobble foundation of a wall running parallel to the abbey wall and a surface with associated build-up were dated to the 18th century. Modern dumped material including a domestic rubbish dump were found above this.
A0722 26-34 Skeldergate
Three trenches were excavated to determine the level of survival of archaeological deposits. Stone structures of medieval date were found to survive close to the Skeldergate street front and beneath the cobble river lane exposed in a previous phase of trial work. An impenetrable masonry feature located at depth in a borehole may represent the line of a Roman wharf.
A0786 50 Piccadilly
"The earliest activity located on the site was two small ditches of late 2nd century date cutting the natural clay at 2.60m OD. Further Roman material was dumped in and around these features in order to raise the ground level. An isolated post was the only evidence of structural activity. It was sealed by burnt residues possibly indicating an industrial process in the vicinity. Subsequently the area was used to tip domestic refuse close to the river, the tip lines running from east to west. A line of stakes and a post followed this alignment, but their structural purpose was not clear. A rough cobbled surface marked a change in use of the area and it was sealed by organic build-up. These deposits all dated to the 3rd century with no later Roman deposits being found. Some 10th/11th century dumping occurred and included a series of large irregular timbers. They were sealed by a series of build-ups and dumps which terminated against a substantial timber revetment presumably on the east bank of the River Foss. This sequence of deposits dated from the 14th century and suggested alternating conditions of waterlogging and dry land in the area, in which domestically derived material accumulated. The timber revetment dated to the 14th century. Horizontal timbers and loosely woven wickerwork were found to the east of the revetment and may have been used to consolidate a ground surface. Deposits above this reflected the continued use of the area for dumping of domestic waste. A considerable depth (3m) of post-medieval material sealed the medieval deposits and included disarticulated human bone which may have derived from the graveyard of St Denys' Church."
A0722 26-34 Skeldergate
Three trenches were excavated to determine the level of survival of archaeological deposits. Stone structures of medieval date were found to survive close to the Skeldergate street front and beneath the cobble river lane exposed in a previous phase of trial work. An impenetrable masonry feature located at depth in a borehole may represent the line of a Roman wharf.
A0742 47 Blossom Street
"Roman deposition on this site was represented by a series of dumps of demolition derived material and other rubbish. Additionally, a cobble foundation, dating to the 3rd century, revealed some structural activity. A series of dumps, dating to the medieval period, sealed this foundation. They were cut by two pits. The modern features encountered on the site beneath the yard surface were a brick-lined well and a drain."
A0736 84 Piccadilly
"At considerable depth, c.2.90m AOD, deposits which confirmed occupation in the Anglian period and suggest structural activity in the Anglo-Scandinavian period were encountered. In the medieval period the whole site appears to have been flooded by the damming of the River Foss to supply water to the castle moat in 1069. The site was thus encompassed by the King's Fishpool, and allowed to silt up in the 14th and 15th centuries. Post-medieval deposits were primarily related to land reclamation activities of the Foss Navigation Company which was formed in 1793 to make and maintain a navigable communication. Modern deposits on the site show that it was used extensively for dumping ash and cinder waste which may have derived from industrial processes carried out close by, prior to its most recent use as a warehouse and car showroom."
A0734 14 Skeldergate
A borehole transect indicating a complex sequence of well stratified deposition up to 7m deep was present, dating from Roman to the modern period. The excavation of three 3 x 3m trenches located well-preserved medieval structural remains with only slight modern disturbance. Edge-set tile hearths were found close to the Skeldergate street frontage with a massive limestone wall founded on a raft of large timbers aligned at right angles to the street closer to the river.