York Historic Environment Record

A borehole survey and excavation of three trenches formed an evaluation in advance of determining a planning application on this site. Two of the trenches were located in the school forecourt on Margaret Street. These were excavated to a depth of 1.5m and contained only modern material. Trench 3 was located in a sub-basement adjacent to the Walmgate frontage of the site. The floor of the sub-basement was located some 0.9m below the pavement level in Walmgate. Excavation continued only to a depth of 0.45m below the base of the foundation layer of brick rubble. The excavation revealed a complex set of well-preserved waterlogged deposits relating to the interior of a 10th/11th century building. Four separate phases of activity were identified. Phase 1 comprised a wattle lined pit, a clay floor with trampled organic debris, and several wooden posts forming a possible boundary. Phase 2 consisted of a number of pits, floor layers, and a hearth. Phase 3 consisted of a further set of floor deposits. Phase 4 appeared to represent a period of disuse. All later deposits had been destroyed when the sub-basement for the school was built.