York Historic Environment Record

Five evaluation trenches. In September 1990 York Archaeological Trust undertook seven days of evaluative excavations on Bishophill Senior Car Park (Grid reference SE601514). The work was undertaken on behalf of the Bradford and Northern Housing Association. It followed a specification issued by Mr. J.Oxley of York City Council. Initially it was intended that a series of four trial holes would be excavated within the car park. Trenches 1, 2 and 3 were to be 2m.x2m., and located in a line along the Buckingham Street frontage (Trench 1 nearest to Bishophill Senior and Trench 3 furthest from it). The fourth trench, measuring 3m.x3m. was to be on the lower terrace of the car park, furthest away from Buckingham Street. The specification stated that Trenches 2, 3 and 4 would be machined down to the top of recognisably pre-18th century levels, and a further 20cm of deposits be removed by hand to obtain dating evidence. In Trench 1 it was intended that excavation should continue through the medieval deposits and the top 20cm of Roman deposits again to obtain dating evidence. Machine clearance of Trenches 1 and 2 showed that all the archaeological levels in the upper part of the car park had been destroyed by modern cellars, which must have fronted onto Buckingham Street. To assess whether the proposed development would extend beyond this cellar, an additional area (Trench 5 measuring approximately 2m.x2m.), slightly further away from Buckingham Street was excavated, to see if the rear wall of the cellar could be located. The cellar wall was found to run parallel to and 12.50 m behind the kerb of Buckingham Street. Trench 3 was excavated to a depth of 2m. And revealed a sequence of garden type deposits. Trench 4 revealed deposits probably derived from the demolition of Roman buildings about lm below the present ground surface.