York Historic Environment Record

Between March and June 2008 York Archaeological Trust undertook an archaeological watching brief at 20 Fetter Lane, York (NGR SE 6006 5157). The work involved the monitoring and recording of all groundworks that were likely to encounter archaeological deposits. The principal groundworks observed were the drilling for the piles and the cutting of the foundation trenches but a number of excavations to remove underground obstructions were also recorded. The foundation trenches were generally c.0.7- 1m wide but varied considerably in depth depending on location, ranging from c.0.9m towards the north of the site to 1.5m at the southern end, adjacent to the Fetter Lane frontage. The site was being redeveloped by Moorside Developments of Strensall, York. The watching brief at this site recovered valuable evidence for activity from the Roman period to the present day. Due to the nature of the data recovery any interpretation of the available evidence has to be tentative but it would appear that Roman terracing, known from the site at 18A – 19 Fetter Lane may also be present on the current site and some of the deeper obstructions encountered within the pile holes may be parts of Roman stone structures, also well known in the general area. The waterlogged organic deposits seen across much of the site are likely to be of Anglo-Scandinavian date and are likely to represent a rich archaeological resource worthy of investigation should an opportunity arise. Medieval stone walls were encountered but again interpretation is difficult although they probably were the remains of structures of some note and significance fronting onto Fetter Lane. Later structures, deposits and features had largely been removed by post-medieval and modern activity but may survive in patches across and around the site. 2 entries on NMR 20 Fetter Lane and Land at Price's Lane (1542336)