York Historic Environment Record

This report presents the results of an archaeological desk-based assessment which was conducted in advance of a proposed development at the Old Dairy, Hull Road, York. The assessment comprised a search of pertinent documentary and cartographic records, and a field visit. The works were commissioned by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners on behalf of the Co-operative Group (Property Division), and conducted by Archaeological Services Durham University. Results There are no historic or statutorily protected buildings in the vicinity of the site. The structures on site are of 20th-century date. The site lies outside any conservation areas. Truncation of the western part of the site makes it unlikely that archaeological deposits will be encountered in this area. The site lies to the north of an area of morainic drift which is believed to have been used as a route across the Vale of York in prehistoric times. The site also lies to the west of Green Dykes Lane, which is above a known earthwork that has the potential to be prehistoric in date. The site lies to the south of a known Roman road. There is therefore the potential for evidence of field systems laid out perpendicular to the road to be encountered. The proximity of the Roman settlement at York also indicates the possibility of burials in the northern part of the site. Excavations in the surrounding area suggest there is the potential for Anglo-Scandinavian activity in the area. 1.7 The medieval hospital of St Nicholas is known to have stood to the immediate west of the site. Excavations on St Nicholas’s hospital have established the likely southern and western boundaries of the hospital, and there is the potential for this boundary to have been encountered to the north-west of the Proposed Development Area as well. The site therefore has the potential to lie within or across the eastern end of the hospital. The excavation of burials to the immediate west of the site indicate that the church of St Nicholas was located in this area, and that it probably did not extend as far east as the Proposed Development Area. The hospital was demolished in the post-medieval period, but the church continued in use until the English Civil Wars, where it was used as a vantage point by Parliament troops during the 1644 siege of York. There is potential for deposits relating to this period to be present on the site. The site was not re-occupied until the 19th century, when the Plantation Tannery and Plantation House were established. Excavations on similar sites elsewhere in the country have demonstrated the high potential for survival of deposits and structures relating to the tanning process.