Archaeology Notes

Event ID 744954

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/744954

NT27SE 556 26775 73800 to 26845 73643

An archaeological watching brief was carried out in September and October 1993 during the excavation of a gas pipeline across the playing fields of the former Royal High School on the N side of Holyrood park.

Evidence was recovered for the location and extent of the pre-historic 'Holyrood Loch' in the area, and a previously unknown prehistoric river channel was recorded. Above these natural deposits a massive dump of clay to raise the ground level was observed. No dating material was recovered from the clay but it was sealed by midden containing pottery dated to the 16th/17th centuries and it may be related to the laying out the area as formal gardens. Two large ditches, 3.50m wide and 1.50m deep, were recorded on the S limit of this clay platform. These may be identified with property boundaries shown on a mid-17th century drawing of the area.

Sponsor: Ove Arup & Partners on behalf of British Gas (Scotland) plc.

M Collard 1993.

Noted.

NMRS, MS/726/96 (79-80, no. 95).