York Historic Environment Record

A small trial hole was excavated against the first buttress to the northeast of Bootham Bar at chainage 1681.8. The excavation in the south-west angle between the external face of the wall and buttress measured 0.58m x 0.67m and 0.55m deep. The base of the foundations of the rampart wall were 0 .17m below the top surface of the rampart whilst those of the buttress were only 0.10m below the surface of the rampart. The lowest course of the rampart wall exposed was constructed of unfaced limestone which projected forward 0. 03m beyond the face of the wall above. Above this, and exposed above the surface of the rampart was a course of brick headers 0.10m x 0.07m. A small patch of brick repair patching occurs above this, confined to the area adjacent to the buttress. The remainder of the wall is constructed of limestone. The top 0.50m of deposits within the trench consisted of a rather loose grey brown sandy silt with frequent fragments of York stone slabs and deposits of mortar. As this layer did not run beneath the wall it probably represents modern dumping against the base of the wall with the intention of raising the height of the rampart enough to cover the foundations of the buttress. Below this material was a firmer deposit of very friable brown sandy silt with occasional small brick fragments & mortar, possibly the true rampart material. NMR Information Watching Brief: trial hole dug against the buttresses at chainage 1681.8 (SE 6013 5224) Report includes a series of watching briefs carried out at a separate sites along York city walls: two small trial holes dug against the buttresses at chainage 693.1 (SE 5974 5148) and 1681.8 (SE 6013 5224) (see also Event 1319668); and repair to a 48m long section of wall of at chainage 2167-2215 (SE 6050 5229).