York Historic Environment Record

Assessment to provide information regarding the archaeological potential of the site of two proposed new boathouses, at St. Peter's School, York. The site lies in an area with a potential to contain archaeological deposits, just outside the limits of the City Centre Area of Archaeological Importance. The surrounding area has been shown to contain Roman burials, many of which were discovered during the late 19th century. The site lies close to the line of one of the two Roman roads approaching the fortress from the northwest. During the medieval period the site was undeveloped and a number of archaeological investigations in the area have encountered substantial thicknesses of garden soils. From the 19th century the site was occupied by open land associated with the school, utilised for sport and recreational activities. The site is unlikely to contain archaeological remains of such significance to prevent the proposed development from being granted planning permission. However, given the archaeological potential of the site, the planning permission is likely to include a condition for a programme of archaeological work. The requirement for, and scale of, any archaeological fieldwork associated with this development will need to be agreed with City of York Council Archaeologist. Several Listed Buildings lie within the vicinity of the site, especially within the school itself. As the proposed development is to entail the replacement of existing boathouses, this is unlikely to result in any more than a negligible change to the settings of these listed buildings.