Edinburgh, Calton Road, Gas Dept Workshops And Garage

NT 2636 7375 An archaeological watching brief was conducted in support of engineering site investigation works at the site of a former gasworks on Calton Road. Six test pits were monitored and made ground varied from 0.5m to in excess of 3m. All made ground appeared to be predominantly composed of 19th-century foundations, demolition material and cellarage.

Sponsor: Barratts East of Scotland.

R McCullagh and J Gooder 1999

NT 2620 7380 We carried out an archaeological excavation between July 2006 and July 2007 in the southern area of the former New Street Bus Depot ahead of the Caltongate development. The excavation, which used of a laser scanner to produce a 3D record, revealed the remains of the former Edinburgh Gasworks. Three distinct phases of the gasworks were recorded across an area that measured approximately 100m². The earliest remains dating from c1818 corresponded with cartographic evidence and consisted of a number of substantial stone walls and floors in addition to brick flues. The second phase corresponded with the documented expansion of the Edinburgh Gasworks in the 1850s and comprised further stone walls and stone vaults, a number of heated brick surfaces and more brick flues. Further features included a large double furnace and the remains of a large square chimney base with three truncated flues running off the base. Many of the features had been truncated or filled with concrete as part of the third phase. This phase included three large banks of furnaces, the remains of the retort benches along the E side of the site. None of the retorts survived but the basement level of the furnaces was intact. Each bank of furnaces incorporated ten ovens, all constructed of brick bonded with clay. These furnace banks were linked to a chimney at the southern end of the site by a series of large brick flues that ran across the site. Further features included a number of circular platforms and bases, cobble floor surfaces, rows of stone mountings, large concrete engine mountings and platforms, two large engine basement rooms and a series of basement rooms to the N of the site.

A large number of smaller features were recorded across the site, including various cast-iron pipes and brick walls. Some areas of the site had been truncated by features associated with the New Street Bus Depot, constructed in the 1930s after the gasworks had been levelled, most significantly by three rows of brick and concrete roof support foundations spread across the whole site and two large fuel tanks at the NW corner. Many of the large voids had been in-filled with brick rubble during this final phase and all features above ground level were demolished. The excavation also revealed a number of small discrete pockets of post-medieval buried soils of the Canongate backlands underlying remains of the Edinburgh Gasworks.

Archive to be deposited with RCAHMS.

Funder: Mountgrange (Caltongate) Ltd.

NT 2656 7390 A watching brief was carried out on a series of test pits excavated across the site, following a previous evaluation (Engl and Bailey, 2006). The work revealed significant upstanding remains relating to the former gasworks and isolated pockets of backland soils.

Subsequent ground-breaking works required a further watching brief to record all exposed features in the northern area of the former New Street bus depot ahead of development. Any walls and floors encountered as part of the ground reduction works were to be removed and a number of substantial stone walls, brick walls and floors were recorded. The majority of these related to one or more phases of the gasworks. The gasworks were on site from 1818–1906 and features from three different phases were identified. A small number of stone walls pre-dating the gasworks were also recorded.

An area of backland soil pre-dating the gasworks was also exposed and excavated. This excavation took the form of a series of seven 1m² trenches, a 10% sample. A significant number of artefacts and ecofacts were recovered. The area of soil also contained a number of stone walls dating to the post-medieval period.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Mountgrange (Caltongate) Ltd

Donald Wilson (AOC Archaeology Group), 2008