Excavation

Date 2005

Event ID 786424

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/786424

NJ90NW 1027 94178 06089

NJ 941 060 Redevelopment of the Grampian Hotel involved replacement of the lift. The hotel is located between the sites of the medieval Carmelite and Trinitarian houses (both founded prior to 1273). Extensive excavation at the Carmelite site (DES 1994, 21- 2) revealed well-preserved late prehistoric and medieval deposits surviving to substantial depths. After the removal of the old lift, inspection revealed archaeological deposits in situ. Excavation of a 1.5 x 1.5m trench in October 2005 uncovered a watercourse filled with alternate lenses of gravel and organic layers containing a small number of medieval pottery sherds, suggesting that the watercourse had silted by the late 12th century. The bottom

of this feature was at a depth of 2-2.16m OD. The fills also contained two sherds of prehistoric pottery and three flints, which presumably washed downstream from somewhere near the excavation site. The pottery sherds are small and very abraded or water-washed. Above this silted-up stream was an organic layer, 0.4m deep maximum, containing wood and twigs but no datable finds. It is possible that this accumulated over a number of centuries and

would suggest that this area was open grassland or a wooded area after the later 12th century.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Next Level Group.

A Cameron 2005.