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Dundee, High Street, General

Road (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Dundee, High Street, General

Classification Road (Period Unassigned)

Canmore ID 186031

Site Number NO43SW 389

NGR NO 4033 3025

NGR Description From NO 4029 3021 to NO 4039 3033

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/186031

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Dundee, City Of
  • Parish Dundee (Dundee, City Of)
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District City Of Dundee
  • Former County Angus

Treasured Places

Built between 1732 and 1734, Dundee Town House was built in Classical style by William Adam. The building featured a steeple over 40m high, which rose from the centre of the roof. At ground level, arcades enclosing shops gave it the local name 'The Pillars'. The council and guildry chambers were on the first floor with the jail above. The town house was repaired after a fire in 1771, extended to the rear in 1872, and demolished in 1932.

Information from RCAHMS 1996

Archaeology Notes

NO43SW 147 403 302

NO 403 302 In January 1995 the Trust undertook a watching brief to monitor groundworks for environmental improvements on the N and S sides of High Street, Dundee. These areas had been stripped to a depth of c0.40m in preparation for new surfaces and several tree pits, up to 2m in depth, had been excavated.

Archaeological deposits and features were recorded in groundworks for resurfacing and excavations for tree planters. Unstratified animal bone, mainly from groundworks for services in front of the city square, was also recovered. Of particular interest was the discovery of the foundation remains of the 1731 Adam's townhouse.

Sponsor: Scottish Enterprise Tayside

R Cachart 1995

Architecture Notes

NMRS REFERENCE

Dundee, 71-77 High Street

NMRS/Simpson & Brown photographs

Box 10 album no 162

street front and rear elevations.

Activities

Watching Brief (1994)

A watching brief on an excavation for a tree planter on the S side of South High Street revealed mixed deposits disturbed by modern services to a depth of 1.20m. Part of an earlier surface of gritty sand and fragmented stone containing 19th-century pottery was recorded, A drain formed from flat slabs arranged in a V formation was also observed. Nothing dating from the medieval period was found.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland.

R Cachart 1994k.

On south side of South High Street 19th century pot, earlier surface, disturbed by modern services.

Information from SUAT,

Cachart, R. 1994. South High Street.

Watching Brief (20 January 1995 - 27 January 1995)

NO 403 302 In January 1995 the Trust undertook a watching brief to monitor groundworks for environmental improvements on the N and S sides of High Street, Dundee. These areas had been stripped to a depth of c0.40m in preparation for new surfaces and several tree pits, up to 2m in depth, had been excavated.

Archaeological deposits and features were recorded in groundworks for resurfacing and excavations for tree planters. Unstratified animal bone, mainly from groundworks for services in front of the city square, was also recovered. Of particular interest was the discovery of the foundation remains of the 1731 Adam's townhouse.

Sponsor: Scottish Enterprise Tayside

Report Summarised below.

During the period 20th-27th January 1995 the Trust undertook an archaeological watching brief to monitor groundworks for environmental improvements on the north and south sides of High Street, Dundee. These areas had been stripped to a depth of about 0.40m in preparation for new surfaces.

Previous observations on the environmental improvements in South High Street and Commercial Street/Murraygate had revealed medieval pottery, bone, former road surfaces and building remains…

Archaeological information in the form of deposits and features were recorded in groundworks for resurfacing and excavations for tree planters. Unstratified animal bone, mainly from groundworks for services in front of the city square were also recovered.

Of particular interest was the discovery of foundation remains for the 1731 Adam's townhouse.

The environmental works along the High Street have involved a substantial amount of below ground work which has both revealed and disturbed important archaeological levels below the High Street and the pavement. The watching brief has proved very helpful in verifying the degree and extent of archaeological survival.

It was ascertained that survival appears best on the south side of the High Street, and although severely truncated by services it was still possible to find remains of archaeological deposits; this seems particularly true further out into the High Street, where deposits may have been protected by the High Street surface, the deposits recorded in areas B and D tentatively indicate that the High Street was at one time much narrower than it is today. In area C, the foundations for the famous pillars were revealed showing that major building remains can exist in good order at a relatively shallow level below present surfaces. On the north side of the High Street at Boot's Corner in areas G, K and F, remains show that late 19th century development has swept away any medieval deposits and that this development in turn was cleared for the Overgate Centre.

Information from SUAT, 1995

References

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