Test Pit Survey

Date 1 September 2012 - 1 May 2013

Event ID 1000040

Category Recording

Type Test Pit Survey

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1000040

Site investigation works relating to an ongoing landslip on the northern side of Castle Rock, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh (NT 2530 7360), were required. As part of this work, a desk-based assessment was undertaken by CFA in 2012 to provide information on the archaeological potential of the area of the landslip. Prior to the site investigation works, archaeological work monitored the excavation of starter pits for nine boreholes; these were hand dug. No significant archaeological features or deposits were identified, however, a cut for a terrace or other landscaping feature was identified within test-pit BH4 and two aligned stones within test-pit BH5 were interpreted as the edge of an earlier path. Neither of these features were thought to be of any antiquity and probably related to the use of the area as a park. A number of finds were recovered from the test-pits. There were medieval finds and finds of early and late post-medieval date, but almost all contexts produced modern finds. This is suggestive of mixed deposits of material that have accumulated through dumping and landscaping rather than secure archaeological contexts. A geoarchaeological assessment was carried out on the cores from three of the boreholes.The geoarchaeological assessment confirmed that deposits other than natural were present to variable depths between approximately 1.5m to 2m and that natural deposits are present from 0.16m below the surface to c.2m below the surface and earlier studies have shown natural to be more than 5m below the current ground surface in places. Below 2m the soils become progressively undisturbed with a merging boundary between the made ground and natural. Based on the findings of the core inspections, and in conjunction by the earlier work carried out by CFA, the presence of well stratified archaeological deposits or features surviving within the landslip area is considered to be low.

Information from Magnus Kirby (CFA Archaeology Ltd) October 2012. OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-196050