York Archaeological Trust
An archaeological desk-top study of the area that is proposed for the Hungate Development was undertaken by York Archaeological Trust on behalf of Land Securities in May 1999. It has identified evidence for the likely preservation of archaeological deposits over the whole site. In the vicinity of Dundas Street archaeological deposits are relatively shallow but they increase in depth to over 6m to the east, south and west towards the River Foss, Garden Place and the Northern Electric Headquarters. The deposits include well stratified and well preserved waterlogged organic remains, of high archaeological value dating from Roman times to the post-medieval period.
The area is within the Roman canabae, a civilian settlement set up to supply the military garrison with its various needs. In the Anglo-Scandinavian period it is likely that the banks of the River Foss were used for trade and streets such as Hungate would have been lined with timber buildings similar to those excavated at Coppergate, York. A significant part of the site was flooded in the 11th century when the River Foss was dammed to create a wet ditch around York Castle. The King's Fishpool which resulted was gradually filled with rubbish and river silts in the later medieval period.
In the 13th century a large part of the site was devoted to an important Carmelite Friary which would have contained the usual range of friary buildings as well as a church and cemetery and a documented wharf on the edge of the Fishpool. The medieval parish church of St John in the Marsh, the Guildhall of the Shoemakers or Cordwainers and a residence for Chantry Priests are also located in the development area.
During the 16th century the King's Fishpool was used as a public rubbish dump and the material deposited therein provides a fascinating insight into the living conditions of the population of York in the late medieval period.
Following the canalisation of the River Foss in the late 18th century the area was developed for heavy industry with an early Victorian gasworks and large scale flour milling. Although the buildings associated with these industries have, for the most part, been demolished remains will still be found beneath the surface.
20th century developments in the area include the construction of a new street, The Stonebow, in 1955, the massive Telephone Exchange buildings of the late 1950s and 1970s, small scale warehousing and service industry buildings such as those within the Northern Electric compound.
INTRODUCTION
General introduction
Methodology
THE DEVELOPMENT SITE
General Overview
Site Topography
Geology
Historical and Archaeological Background
Geo-technical Background
Walk-over Survey
The Built Heritage
CONCLUSIONS
LIST OF SOURCES
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
List of Figures
Figure 1 Development Location Plan
Figure 2 Plan showing previous site investigations
Figure 3 John Speed's map of c.1610
Figure 4 Benedict Horsley's map of 1694
Figure 5 Edward Baines' map of 1822
Figure 6 Ordnance Survey map 1852
Figure 7 Whittock’s Birds Eye View of 1858
Figure 8 Ordnance Survey map 1909
Figure 9 Ordnance Survey map 1937
