Archaeological Evaluation

Date 26 September 2011 - 12 October 2011

Event ID 963427

Category Recording

Type Archaeological Evaluation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/963427

NT 2615 7662 An evaluation was undertaken 26 September–12 October 2011 on the site of Fort House prior to its demolition. The aim of the evaluation was to target the remains of the early 19th-century extension to the fort, as shown on Kirkwood’s map of 1817 and the 1st Edition OS map of 1853. Sixteen trenches were excavated, spread across five areas of the site (A to E), amounting to 4% of the area available for trenching.

The trenches located a number of features and finds. These were mostly concentrated towards the S end of the site and included walls and surfaces of the Ordnance Store, stable blocks and ancillary buildings, parade ground surfaces and a possible ‘target’ location within the parade ground. A number of concrete wall bases were recorded to the N. These may relate to the later use of the fort, which was occupied until the 1950s. An E W aligned ditch was recorded in the central part of the site, within the area of the parade ground. The fill of the ditch, which is not shown on any of the maps of the fort, contained oyster shell and demolition rubble. The finds from the ditch indicated a late 18th-century date, which suggests that its infilling may have coincided with the construction of the initial fort building and battery to the N of the present site.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended). Reports: CECAS and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: City of Edinburgh Council

Headland Archaeology Ltd 2011