Watching Brief

Date 9 February 2009 - 25 November 2010

Event ID 961589

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/961589

Headland Archaeology conducted a watching brief at Coldingham Priory (a Scheduled Ancient Monument No. 383) during the construction of a communal garden to the south of the scheduled area, and the consolidation of existing ruins within it. The work was jointly commissioned by the Scottish Borders Council, the Tweed Forum, and the Friends of Coldingham Priory, and undertaken in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation submitted in order to gain Scheduled Monument consent from Historic Scotland. The watching brief took place over a period of 22 months, and the works were designed so as to minimise any impact on archaeological remains. Ivy and loose stones were removed from the walls of the refectory, cloister, and lapidarium and parts of these walls repointed. A number of architectural stones were recorded within them. The foundations of the refectory, chapter house, south transept, lapidarium, and westwerk, were partially uncovered underneath topsoil during the watching brief, as well as areas of possible paving around the lapidarium and westwerk. Entrance thresholds into the refectory and a previously sub-surface wall (which is likely to represent the eastern wall of the southern transept) were also revealed. A section of ground behind a probable 19th century retaining wall within the cloister was exposed and redeposited graveyard soil overlying the former surface level of the cloister was recorded.

Archive: RCAHMS

Funder: Scottish Borders Council, The Tweed Forum and Friends of Coldingham Priory

Headland Archaeology Ltd 2010

Information also reported in Oasis (headland1-104915) 17 June 2013