Trial Trench
Date 28 April 1998 - 1 May 1998
Event ID 1014027
Category Recording
Type Trial Trench
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1014027
Kirkdale Archaeology carried out trial trenching across (E-W) a grassed area lying to the S of Queensberry House Hospital. In the light of the Desk based Assessment (DBA) completed on the proposed Parliament of Scotland Site (PSS), and the outline trial trenching strategy, Trial Trench 3 was partially excavated over 4 working days (28.4.98 – 1.5.98). The excavation concentrated on three areas of T3, resulting in 3 separate trenches – 3/1, 3/2, 3/3.
The archaeological potential of the site was based on documentary & cartographic evidence and the findings of a borehole survey sited a short distance to the S of T3. The available evidence suggested the presence of deep stratified deposits reflecting primarily the evolution of the private formal gardens behind the 17th-century Queensberry House to early 18th-century army parade ground, culminating in the present arrangement of flower beds, lawn and car parking serving the site’s most recent role as a hospital (early 19th-century to present).
Kirkdale Archaeology, 1998