Watching Brief

Date 12 July 2007 - 30 April 2008

Event ID 577139

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/577139

NT 2656 7390 A watching brief was carried out on a series of test pits excavated across the site, following a previous evaluation (Engl and Bailey, 2006). The work revealed significant upstanding remains relating to the former gasworks and isolated pockets of backland soils.

Subsequent ground-breaking works required a further watching brief to record all exposed features in the northern area of the former New Street bus depot ahead of development. Any walls and floors encountered as part of the ground reduction works were to be removed and a number of substantial stone walls, brick walls and floors were recorded. The majority of these related to one or more phases of the gasworks. The gasworks were on site from 1818–1906 and features from three different phases were identified. A small number of stone walls pre-dating the gasworks were also recorded.

An area of backland soil pre-dating the gasworks was also exposed and excavated. This excavation took the form of a series of seven 1m² trenches, a 10% sample. A significant number of artefacts and ecofacts were recovered. The area of soil also contained a number of stone walls dating to the post-medieval period.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Mountgrange (Caltongate) Ltd

Donald Wilson (AOC Archaeology Group), 2008