York Historic Environment Record

An archaeological watching brief was carried out in the garden of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, in the centre of York. This work involved monitoring the excavation of cable trenches for a lighting scheme to illuminate the hall. The trenches were largely restricted to the south-west and south-east edges of the property, although one trench extended as far north-west as the south-east end of the chapel. They were 300mm deep by 200mm wide on average. Topsoil in the flower beds, under turf in the grassed areas, was encountered throughout. In front of the steps into the garden from Piccadilly, the lower 150mm of the topsoil incorporated frequent small clinker fragments. It is likely that the deposits encountered were brought into the site when this area was converted into a garden in the early 20th century.