Watching Brief

Date June 2001

Event ID 883511

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/883511

A further watching brief was undertaken in June 2001 while contractors excavated a shallow trench in the SW corner of the castle courtyard.

The purpose of the excavation was to add an extension to an existing set of steps that had been built to allow people access from the inner courtyard down a particularly slippery slope to the postern gate in the S wall of the castle.

The deposits exposed by the excavations were clearly 20th-century landscaping layers laid over early castle masonry. The nature of the masonry sealed by the terram was not established other than the fact that it appeared to be coarse red and pink sandstone. The site has obviously been excavated and backfilled at some recent time. It should be noted that the works did not require any of the sealed masonry to be disturbed.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

D Stewart and G Ewart 2001