Excavation

Date June 1996

Event ID 1084884

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1084884

HU 476 415 Kirkdale Archaeology was contracted by Historic Scotland to expand two of their trenches in the NE corner of the battery from the 1994 season of excavation.The brief was to:

(a) extend trench 14 to the E by up to 2m to expose the footings of the masonry surrounding embrasure 1 and obtain a section through the remnants of the turf revetment and possible firing step to the E of the embrasure.

(b) extend trench 13 to the N by 1m to obtain a section through the remnants of the turf revetment and ?firing step to the N of embrasure 2 and to allow the ground level to be lowered in that area to a level consistent with the timber gun platform.

The excavations revealed that this NE corner of Fort Charlotte had been hugely disturbed by late Victorian and 20th-century activity. The remnants of the earlier turf revetments, although badly damaged by the use of this area, lay below the levels of the surfaces of the gun platforms and those required for the installation of new platforms, therefore remaining securely undisturbed by the current work on the battery. The revelation of the full extent of the embrasure in plan showed the possibility of slight variations in construction, a fact which was also reflected in the shapes and sizes of the gun platforms, with one example having sides more parallel than the usual wedge shape. It may be that the peculiarities in shape of this N facing platform and embrasure reflect some sort of structural necessity required in order to fit into this corner behind the magazine enclosure.

G Ewart and P Sharman 1996

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology