York Historic Environment Record

The site was anticipated to contain remnants of the medieval ridge and furrow farming regime as seen on the 1936 aerial photos. The results on site indicated there was nothing, bar possibly TP01, which remained of this. The site must have been cleared and extensively landscaped as the school expanded its playing field into this area in the immediate post WWII period. The lowest lying test pit TP01 may have preserved its soil sequence as it was not graded flat during the works. The topsoil which was present on the site lacked residual pottery and brick and tile, indicating it may have been imported during the landscaping process. However, due to the site’s proximity to areas of known archaeological sensitivity, and in particular to Roman burials, it cannot be confirmed that the site is archaeologically sterile.