St Andrews, 12 North Street

NO51NW 281 5122 1672

NO 5122 1672 In June 1996 SUAT undertook an archaeological watching brief on foundation trenches for a small development in garden ground belonging to St Andrews Preservation Trust at their museum at 12 North Street. The observations revealed stone foundations for 19th-century outhouses, two cobbled surfaces, garden soil and subsoil. All pottery and finds date from the 19th century. Some oyster shell retrieved could indicate medieval activity. No features or deposits dating from the medieval period were encountered.

A further small watching brief was undertaken on the excavation of two post-holes in the same garden in September 1996. Even with the very limited nature of this watching brief, evidence for medieval activity was recovered. It appears that a medieval garden soil does survive up to a depth of at least 0.5m. No evidence of midden spreads or industrial material was found. This adds to the overall picture of medieval deposition in this part of St Andrews and demonstrates that further development in the area would merit archaeological investigation.

Sponsor: St Andrews Preservation Trust.

R Cachart and J Mackenzie 1996