Annual Report 2001

GLOUCESTER ARCHAEOLOGY UNIT ANNUAL REPORT 2001

For illustrations refer to originals in Glevensis 35

City Archaeologist Richard Sermon

Urban Archaeological Database Officer Phil Greatorex

Projects Officer Lisa Donel

Finds and Events Officer Rachel Atherton

Post-Excavation Officer Sean Cook

Senior Research Assistant Anthony P Garrod

Administrative Officer Julie Lloyd

BLACKFRIARS DEVELOPMENT

During 2001, the work of Gloucester Archaeology Unit was once again dominated by the proposed Blackfriars Development, and ensuing the Compulsory Purchase Order inquiry. The outline planning approval for the retail development (east of Ladybellegate Street) was also subject to Judicial Review and ruled to be invalid because an Environmental Impact Assessment had not been prepared as part of the application. Nevertheless, the archaeological work done in advance of the development did not fall within this ruling, and a detailed planning approval for the multiplex cinema (west of Ladybellegate Street) is still valid. In September 2001 the City Archaeologist presented a paper on the Blackfriars Multiplex scheme to the Preservation of Archaeological Remains in Situ (PARIS) conference held at the Museum of London. A further paper is to be presented to the Society of Antiquaries in November 2002, a brief outline of which follows.

Multiplex Cinema Scheme

Working closely with engineers Adams Kara Taylor and architects Burrell Foley Fischer the Unit developed a method of protecting the archaeology known as a 'Mitigation Strategy'. This work began with the adoption of three broad engineering principles:

1. To minimise the extent of excavation required for the below ground car park.

2. To minimise the number of vertical penetrations through the ground.

3. To minimise the extent of excavation required to construct the foundations.

With these principles established the design team set about addressing the archaeological issues, the first of which was the below ground car parking. To avoid disturbing the archaeological deposits which follow the natural ground slope from east to west across the site, the lowest level of car parking (12.00m AOD) was reduced substantially to a narrow band running parallel to Barbican Road. Which placed the Level 1 (12m AOD) and Level 2 (15m AOD) car parking decks above the known level of significant archaeological desposits.

In response to principle 2, the engineers recommended the use of large diameter piles (over 2m) combined with 'Y' shaped transfer columns (fig 1) to provide a 19m piling grid with only 54 pile locations (fig 2), ie larger but fewer piles. By way of comparison, in 1995 the proposed Magistrates Court was to have occupied the central part of the same site. If we compare the number of piles and the presence of piles caps and ground beams with those in the same area from the present scheme, we obtain the following results:

Magistrates Court -131 piles with caps and ground beams

Multiplex Cinema - 20 piles with no caps or ground beams

In addition, there are two further advantages with these large diameter piles. Firstly, the piles are of sufficient diameter and depth that they could be reused for future development, thus providing sustainable protection to the archaeological deposits on the site. Secondly, each of the pile locations can be archaeologically excavated and recorded within large diameter pre-cast concrete shaft linings (fig 3). While the loss of any archaeological deposits is regrettable, it should be understood all significant deposits affected by the development would be subject to controlled archaeological excavation.

In response to principle 3, the design team recommended using upstand ground beams at the perimeter of the site, rather than the traditional approach of employing downstand ground beams. They also located all lift shafts, stair wells and service ducts within the car parking decks, and, therefore, above the level of any significant archaeological deposits.

As a result the Mitigation Strategy can be seen to have provided a range measures to protect the nationally important archaeological remains in this part of the city. Furthermore, the projected deposit loss is well below the often quoted figure of 5% in the York Development and Archaeological Study (Ove Arup, 1991). However, it should be noted that these deposits would not be 'lost' in the sense of the York study, but subject to controlled archaeological excavation and recording. This work was commended by our colleagues at the Museum of London Archaeology Service as being a 'thorough, considered and innovative approach'. Finally, while the Blackfriars Development may at present be 'in limbo' the approach described in the Mitigation Strategy is still valid, and would form a strong basis for any future scheme. RS

FIELDWORK (fig 4)

In the reports that follow authorship is denoted by the initials of the contributor. During the course of the year Gloucester Archaeology Unit carried out 1 building survey, 2 Coroners/Police reports, 10 field evaluations and 42 watching briefs. Especially interesting amongst these were:

St. Nicholas Church, Westgate Street (GLRCM 2000/75)

SO 8290 1878

The second phase of the restoration work on the church (interior) comprised the removal of plaster and mortar in damaged areas and the conservation of exposed and damaged stone as well as the removal, assessment and replacement of the raised floor beneath the pews. The unit was asked to record all exposed stonework prior to the conservation works and to carry out a watching brief during the removal and replacement of the raised floor. Although the initial brief only required work in the south and north aisles, ultimately, all exposed stonework in the church as well as remnants of painting were photographed and drawn. Traces of early painting were found in the Vestry and on the north wall of the Nave. There had been some interesting forms of repair in the church. The largest was the insertion of plywood boards in the south wall of the Nave which were then plastered over. Beams from the floor was also drawn and photographed where they were to be replaced or had any interesting elements (possible reuse from ships or older buildings). The archive will provide a base for any future conservation works both within and outside (Phase 1) the church. LD

HM Prison, Gloucester (GLRCM 2001/27)

SO 8280 1851

The Unit was contacted by the Coroner and asked to investigate a possible burial at the Prison. This followed a previous visit to the same site to identify recovered material (animal and human bone, clay pipe, pottery etc.) as well as to assess the potential for burials in the area being excavated. A slate slab had been uncovered by the contractors at the bottom of a trench. It appeared to be laid north south and continued below unexcavated material. Beneath this slate were a number of human bones lying within a brown clayey soil, which appeared to be disarticulated long bones and digits. The bone lay almost directly below the slab which could mean that either it had been previously disturbed, or that the grave was very shallow. Little is known about the burial practices in the debtor's area of the prison. However, other debtor's cemeteries do show similar lack of respect for the bodies with many burials heaped one on top of the other. There was often an arrangement with the local parish for burial outside of the prison, though this was not always the case. Burial orientation was also haphazard depending on available space. As there was no intention to excavate below the level of the slab, the loose bone was bagged and replaced under the slate and reburied. LD

Fountains Court, Westgate Street (GLRCM 2001/34)

SO 8290 1870

Representatives from the City Museum and the City Archaeology Unit were called by the Police when parts of human skeleton were uncovered in a pit being excavated at Fountains Court. The area was being landscaped and two large and deep pits were excavated in the area behind St. Nicholas Church. None of the skeletal material was articulated. It is probable that they were first excavated when Fountains Court was being constructed and the bones represent remains of bodies that originally lay in the graveyard of St. Nicholas Church. LD

107 Denmark Road, Kingsholm (GLRCM 2001/36)

SO 8365 1939

A watching brief was carried out during the excavation of foundation trenches for an extension to the main house. Two features were identified in the trenches. Both were pits which probably date from the 1st or 2nd century AD. One was relatively shallow while the second was deep and produced a number of finds (see discussion under Finds below). No further features were uncovered in the area of the extension. LD

Premier Lodge/Wheatstone Inn, Barnwood Fields (GLRCM 2001/57)

SO 8649 1893

Observations made within machined out site area, partly back-filled with hard core, average 0.6m deep. Geological: A layer of Jurassic Limestone gravel, beneath buff alluvial loam, overlay Lias clay base at 0.6 m deep. Roman: Occasional abraided sherds of Roman Severn Valley Ware were noted on soil tips, across the north side of the development area. Undated Features: A wet greenish loam level saturated with fine roots approximately 40 metres long, exceeding 8 metres wide, was recorded to depths of 0.6m within the western side of the site area. Remains of a right angled ditch alignment, exceeding 1.8m wide, extending north towards Horsbere brook, was recorded east of the above wet ground area. The site was previously excavated by Foundations Archaeology. For Roman Burials and features see forthcoming report. APG

Greyfriars, Gloucester (GLRCM 2002/12)

SO 8313 1836

A watching brief was carried out during the removal and relaying of paving slabs in April 2001. The slab, approximately 0.5m thick, was removed to reveal a reddish sand used as bedding. A depression was evident in the northern quarter of the area. The red sand was removed to a depth of 0.5m. revealing a layer of yellow gravel which was spread over the whole of the area. A number of large stone chips had been laid in the area of the depression, presumably to level it off. Running down the centre of the exposed area was a brick, stone and cement drain which was cleared out by the site workers. However, nothing of significance was revealed in the fill. A sturdier sand/gravel was laid over the existing yellow gravel and the stone flags relaid. There was nothing to indicate whether the depression was caused by an earlier feature or was a case of natural subsidence of inadequate bedding material. A photographic and drawn record was made of the area. LD

GLOUCESTER URBAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATABASE.

2001 saw the Urban Archaeological Database expanded from the original 9sq.km assessment area to cover the complete 40.7km2 district. The database now holds 1492 records. The quality of the data varies considerably, from fully published sites, such as The East and North Gates, to a 1949 record of a sherd of 2nd century flagon, found in Brunswick Road, with the exact location described as "beneath the surface". These latter types of record, including many antiquarian references, are now being investigated further in the hope of plotting the true location of findspots and establishing the depth of archaeological deposits in each area. The second task involves the rather daunting prospect of examining all of the primary site archives (section drawings in particular) so the opportunity has been taken to catalogue each sheet, as it is checked, and to compile a computer database of every record held by the Archaeology Unit. PG

POST-EXCAVATION PUBLICATION PROGRAMME

Work progressed on three sites in particular during 2001. Illustration work is underway on figures for the report detailing the excavations at Saintbridge balancing pond in 1986. Following some final editing, the completed the report will be presented for publication in the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.

Work also continues on the processing the archive from excavations at Upper Quay Street (Site 8/89) and at Lower Quay Street (Site 16/93). Currently we are concentrating on the organisation and completion of assessments of the various assemblages. The aim of the assessment is to produce specialist reports on the environmental and artefactual assemblages recovered from the excavations, and in doing so it will also be possible to establish the potential for further analysis. Completion of the descriptive text for the excavations is ongoing and involves an analysis and interpretation of the original archive. This will provide an opportunity to prioritise further work on the assemblages and will assist the specialists in the completion of their reports. SC

FINDS

With the help of a hardworking team of volunteers and work experience placements, computerised records have now been created for most of the small finds housed at the unit. Already this has proved invaluable in aiding researchers and improving standards of collection management. In future years it will allow the collections to be used much more effectively.

Work on bulk finds has also progressed, with the reorganisation of the unit stores, identification of assemblages requiring further work, and the expansion of the animal bone reference collection. This research and educational tool will continue to be expanded and enhanced in future years.

Fieldwork produced little in the way of notable finds, although a watching brief at 107 Denmark Road (GLRCM 2001/36, see above) revealed an early Roman pit which, although not fully excavated, produced a large quantity of finds. These include military period pottery, a large amount of heavily butchered animal bone (including cow, pig, sheep, deer), a copper alloy hook and a pottery lamp fragment which is a welcome addition to the small collection of Roman lamps from excavations in the city. The excavation showed that activity associated with the fort at Kingsholm extended further west (see Glevensis 20, 5) than had been previously thought. RA

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

The unit's annual open day in August attracted more than 150 visitors. The civil war theme proved popular, with activities and displays focusing on the Siege of Gloucester. Historic re-enactors The History People put on a brilliant show with a bodger, a hedgewitch, and craft and weapons demonstrations.

With over 35 volunteers at this year's public excavation on Robinswood Hill, work continued apace and the excavation on the summit was completed. Once again, participants had the opportunity to try a range of techniques, from excavation and recording to finds processing. National Archaeology Days fell on the middle weekend, and on the Saturday the Unit held an open day where people could visit the site to see the excavations and to bring along their own finds for identification.

Twenty-one work experience students joined us in 2001, gaining an insight into the work of the Unit and the City Council and helping out with finds processing, research and collections management. As ever, the placements proved beneficial to both the students and the unit. RA

THE ROBINSWOOD HILL ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT

For two weeks in July 2001, Gloucester Archaeology carried out further excavations on Robinswood hill. This archaeological work was undertaken as part of an ongoing research and training project involving the local community on behalf of the City Council (see Glevensis 34, 12-15). The project concentrated on five areas of investigation combining geophysical and excavation techniques. This report summarises the interim results of excavations completed on the hill during the second year of excavations in areas 1, 3 and 4.

Located at the top of the hill, area 1 consisted of two trenches positioned over the southern part of an irregular 'kidney' shaped depression at the eastern end of the summit. The purpose of the excavation was to investigate and attempt to characterise and date this feature, positioned in an area described in earlier records as the location of a barrow, 'at the eastern end of the summit'. Trench 1 orientated east to west, was 13.5m long and 2m wide. A further smaller trench (trench 2) 5.5m long and 1.0m wide was orientated north to south perpendicular to trench 1.

Excavation of the trenches was completed during summer 2001 and the evidence suggested an amorphous shaped and generally flat bottomed feature with a maximum depth of 1m. The western and southern edges were very steep whilst the eastern edge was more gently sloping. The natural geology, consisting of a silty sand and limestone fragments was exposed at the base of the trench along with the presence of root boles indicating the former presence of shrubs, suggesting that the feature was open for some time prior to backfilling. This natural base was immediately overlain by a 'mound' of re-deposited material producing a small quantity of residual finds including bone, flint and a few small abraded pieces of pot. Dating of the pottery was inconclusive, but a small iron nail retrieved from one of the root boles, suggested that the latest possible date for the mound was no earlier than the Iron Age. Successive layers of accumulated backfill containing prehistoric and modern finds overlay this material.

The feature was excavated in an area of the hill with the most locally accessible source of limestone, albeit fragmentary, the next nearest available source being the Cotswold escarpment, approximately 7km to the west. It seems quite possible that construction of this feature was related to local quarrying activities, providing an immediate source of limestone perhaps for the production of lime rather than building material for which the small fragments seem unsuitable.

Areas 3 and 4 consisted of a trench 15m long and 3m wide located approximately 25m north-west of the visitor centre. The excavation revealed remains associated with the former reservoir buildings identified from the 1936 Ordnance survey plan. This shows a row of ancillary buildings whose function and precise location were unknown prior to the excavation.

It is intended to publish final report on results of the excavation with illustrations and reports on the finds in a future edition of Glevensis. SC & PG

APPENDIX 1: SITES SUBJECT TO FIELDWORK NOT REFERED TO IN MAIN TEXT (APG & LD)

17 Oxford Street, (GLRCM 2001/5) SO 8366 1887, Watching Brief

Lower Tuffley Lane, (GLRCM 2001/4) SO 8197 1553, Watching Brief

5 Woods Orchard Road, (GLRCM 2001/6) SO 8336 1470, Watching Brief

124-126 London Road, (GLRCM 2001/7) SO 8440 1894, Watching Brief

5 Cheltenham Road, (GLRCM 2001/10) SO 8452 1905, Watching Brief

53 Gambier Parry Gardens, (GLRCM 2001/13) SO 8382 1993, Watching Brief

Oxstalls College, (GLRCM 2001/14) SO 3846 2193, Watching Brief

5 Centurian Close, (GLRCM 2001/15) SO 8638 1698 , Watching Brief

London Road, (GLRCM 2001/16) SO 8431 1896 , Watching Brief

Myers Road, (GLRCM 2001/17) SO 8469 1820 , Watching Brief

St Oswalds Road, (GLRCM 2001/18 ) SO 8261 1912 , Watching Brief

Crypt School, Podsmead, (GLRCM 2001/20) SO 8268 1570, Evaluation

Elysia, Naas Lane, Quedgeley, (GLRCM 2001/21) SO 8165 1296, Evaluation

100 Hucclecote Road, (GLRCM 2001/22) SO 8713 1738, Watching Brief

1 Crooks Orchard, (GLRCM 2001/23) SO 8399 1948, Watching Brief

23 Otter Road, (GLRCM 2001/24) SO 8701 1647, Watching Brief

Land adjacent to Walls Factory, (GLRCM 2001/25) SO 8647 1888, Watching Brief

40 Dinglewell Road, (GLRCM 2001/29) SO 8681 1727, Watching Brief

213 Bristol Road, (GLRCM 2001/30) SO 8107 1401, Watching Brief

55 Little Normans, (GLRCM 2001/31) SO 8522 2022, Watching Brief

Barnwood House, (GLRCM 2001/32) SO 8611 1799, Watching Brief

63 Brionne Way, (GLRCM 2001/44) SO 8507 2045, Watching Brief

61 Kitchener Avenue, (GLRCM 2001/45) SO 8309 1640, Watching Brief

3 Woodend Close, (GLRCM 2001/46) SO 8631 1764, Watching Brief

106 Barnwood Road, (GLRCM 2001/47) SO 8553 1831, Watching Brief

1A-1B Eastbrook Road, (GLRCM 2001/48) SO 8559 1772, Watching Brief

Wotton Lawns Hospital, (GLRCM 2001/49) SO 8437 1876, Watching Brief

Ribston Hall, Spa Road, (GLRCM 2001/52) SO 8290 1805, Evaluation

Green Farm, (GLRCM 2001/56) SO 8101 1507 , Watching Brief

Oxstalls Campus, (GLRCM 2001/58) SO 8473 1936 , Watching Brief

1-2 Barnwood Park, (GLRCM 2001/59) SO 8563 1842 , Watching Brief

43 Stroud Road, (GLRCM 2001/60) SO 8291 1765 , Watching Brief

20 Hillcot Close, (GLRCM 2001/61) SO 8026 1429 , Watching Brief

119 London Road, (GLRCM 2001/62) SO 8463 1888 , Watching Brief

53a Church Road, (GLRCM 2001/63) SO 8518 1990 , Watching Brief

4 Mainard Square, (GLRCM 2001/64) SO 8507 2040 , Watching Brief

42 Sandford Way, (GLRCM 2001/65) SO 8172 1453 , Watching Brief

80 Rosebury Avenue, (GLRCM 2001/66) SO 8302 1652 , Watching Brief

39 Lynton Road, (GLRCM 2001/67) SO 8679 1707 , Watching Brief

7 Greyhound Gardens, (GLRCM 2001/68) SO 8590 2030 , Watching Brief

Bearland House, (GLRCM 2001/69) SO 8293 1859 , Watching Brief

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, (GLRCM 2002/11) SO 8440 1850, Evaluation

Alexandra Warehouse, (GLRCM 2002/13) SO 8261-1822, Watching Brief

152 Estcourt Road, (GLRCM 2002/14) SO 8451 1918, Evaluation

34-36 Malvern Road, (GLRCM 2002/15) SO 8391 1958, Evaluation

99 London Road, (GLRCM 2002/16) SO 8419 1896, Evaluation

British Energy, Barnett Way, (GLRCM 2002/17) SO 8625 1827, Evaluation

NHS Depot, Horton Road, (GLRCM 2002/18) SO 8440 1850, Evaluation

Jordans Brook House, (GLRCM 2002/19) SO 8633 1767, Evaluation

KFC, Metz Way, (GLRCM 2002/20) SO 8320 1850, Evaluation