Edinburgh, High Street, Abbot's Town House
No Class (Event)
Site Name Edinburgh, High Street, Abbot's Town House
Classification No Class (Event)
Alternative Name(s) Strichen's Close
Canmore ID 71813
Site Number NT27SE 457
NGR NT 26024 73659
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/71813
- Council Edinburgh, City Of
- Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District City Of Edinburgh
- Former County Midlothian
NT27SE 457 260 736.
Emergency rescue excavation and survey of E wall of a stone-built, 17th century "land", on a site historically associated with the late medieval Abbots of Melrose.
Parts of this area, known as the "Grants" site, were excavated in 1973-74 (NT27SE 206). The building had stood until around 1972 when the upper storeys were demolished. This recent investigation recorded part of a vaulted undercroft, with a window and a doorway opening onto Strichen's Close. Traces of earlier timber structures were recorded beneath the construction levels.
The remains have been preserved by the developers, but only after substantial destruction of the rest of the undercroft. This recent work produced the only detailed record of any part of the building. Although only 20% of the total development area had been investigated in 1973-74 the current hotel development proceeded without any level of planned archaeological monitoring.
Sponsors: Dancon Ltd and SDD HBM.
P Yeoman 1989b.