Excavation

Date March 2010 - January 2011

Event ID 963428

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/963428

NT 2560 7330 An excavation was undertaken March 2010–January 2011 prior to development work. The archaeological potential of the area was considered high as the 16th-century Flodden Wall effectively defines the southern and eastern limits of the site and numerous structures are depicted on the backland areas of the riggs running S from the Lawn Market in Rothiemay’s view of 1647. However, the site has also seen several phases of rebuilding, with a series of increasingly large industrial structures shown on 19th- and 20th-century maps.

The excavations quickly confirmed that the northern lower part of the site had been heavily terraced into the natural clay, leaving no surviving archaeological remains. However, the ground surface within some areas of the southern half of the site survived to more than 2m higher. Remains recorded in this area consisted of the remnants of a deep basement to the E and the degraded fragments of structures to the W. The remains could not be dated to much before the 19th century and related to the successive industrial structures that had been built across the site. The construction of these buildings had removed any traces of earlier archaeology.

The lower parts of the upstanding eastern boundary wall, towards Greyfriars cemetery, contained the in situ remains of the basement and first floor of one early structure, complete with blocked windows and entrances, which formerly led into a narrow close bounded on its opposite side by the Flodden Wall. A fireplace was recorded in the lower part of what was probably the southern gable wall of the structure. The close between the boundary wall and the retaining wall of the graveyard (possibly containing parts of the Flodden Wall) proved to be a narrow, infilled feature.

A brick-vaulted tunnel was also exposed in the SW part of the site. This ran for a short distance into a previously known wide and deep well/mine shaft. This was uncovered and recorded in advance of new capping being fitted to the shaft.

Archive: CECAS and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: George Heriot’s School

Addyman Archaeology 2011