Hungate - Palmer Lane Evaluation: Results

The Hungate Archaeological Project: Palmer Lane Evaluation

Field Archaeology Specialists

Fieldwork Results

The sequence encountered consisted of a layer of tarmac and preparation layer, C1000 and C1001, belonging to the present car park. This overlay and sealed the backfill of F1, C1002, an electricity cable and trench. F1 cut an earlier service trench containing a drainpipe for grey-water, draining water from the current car park (F2, C1003). Both services cut into features belonging to a backfilled below-ground structure, Structure 1 (F3, C1004 to F8, C1009), that had been backfilled with a demolition deposit, C1009. C1009 consisted of brick rubble containing frequent lumps of lime mortar, and nineteenth century debris including iron sash-window weights and window glass.

Structure 1 (S1) survived to a height of 9.45m AOD and consisted of four brick-built walls, F3 to F6, a brick-built floor, F7, and an associated cast iron gas main, F8 (Fig 3 JPEG/DWF, Plate 6). F3 formed the southwestern wall of S1 and was made of mortar-bonded brick constructed in English bond. It was visible in, and formed the make-up of, the northeast facing section of Intervention 2 and although its width was not visible the feature was seen to measure 1.60m in length. F5 lay parallel to F3 to its northeast and was made of mortar-bonded brick constructed in running and English bond. It measured 2.15m in length and 0.30m in width. Both F3 and F5 were orientated in a NW-SE direction turning at right angles at their northernmost limit to form F6. F6 was also a mortar-bonded, brick-built wall constructed in a running bond, orientated NE-SW and measuring 1,44m in length and 0.20m in width. F3 and F5 at their southernmost limit abutted F4, a mortar-bonded brick wall of distinctive construction. F4 was orientated NE-SW, parallel to F6, and continued beyond both the southwestern and northeastern limits of excavation. It was visible for a length of 2.00m and measured 0.70m wide. It was constructed in a running bond and was built three rows deep representing the external wall of Structure 1. F3 to F6 formed a small, below-ground, rectangular structure at the bottom of which a brick floor was contacted after the complete removal of C1009 (F7 C1008). Where F4 was met by F7 a small brick-built chamfered plinth was contacted two courses high and measuring 1.40m in length. This appeared to be have been supporting a large iron pipe, 0.30m in diameter, which lay on a NW-SE alignment central to S1 (F8 C1010). F6 had clearly been constructed around F8 and although F8 had been broken off and blocked with bricks and mortar, an answering opening in the plinth of F4, also blocked, suggested that F8 had spanned the length of S1 and indeed continued beyond it in both directions.


	Plate 6.

A dark layer of silt was contacted in the northern corner of Intervention 2 which lay beneath the demolition horizon of Structure 1 and may have represented a phase of activity belonging to the gasworks (C1015). Although no contaminants were contacted directly, this layer emitted an odour which may have been naphthalene, an ill-smelling hydrocarbon used in the distillation of coal-tar. It is likely that this deposit derived from a by-product of gasworks activity. Since the possibility for contamination remained there was a likelihood that S1 itself had retained potential contaminants behind its walls and floor.

Due to the presence of potentially contaminated strata F5 and F7 were removed using a mechanical excavator. When it was clear that no contaminated soils had been contacted the exposed deposits were cleaned and recorded by hand. Removal of these features revealed pre-gasworks deposits which were visible in the southwest facing section of Intervention 2 (Fig 4 JPEG/DWF). The sequence encountered consisted of the modern tarmac surface (C1000, C1001) sealing the service trench F2. This cut into a mixed layer which consisted of brick rubble containing frequent lumps of lime mortar, C1011, another demolition deposit which appeared to be the stratigraphic equivalent of C1009. This overlay a layer of very dark gray sandy silty clay containing brick fragments, lumps of lime mortar and nineteenth century ceramic. This deposit may represent the construction horizon for the gasworks although the construction cut for F4 remained elusive. C1014 sealed a rubbish pit, F9 C1013, which contained a high percentage of ceramic building material. This feature was seen to cut into a homogenous layer of dark brown silty clay which contained brick fragments, mortar, animal bone and oyster shell (C1015). C1015 was the earliest deposit contacted and was visible in both the southwest facing section and beneath F7. No excavation was undertaken below 7.80m AOD.

Table 1. Intervention 2, summary of context records
C No.	Identity	F No.	Status	Munsell	Description	Date
1000	layer	-	s	black	tarmac	20^th C
1001	layer	-	s	various	preparation layer for tarmac	20^th C
1002	backfill	1	s	various	sandy clay, brown, inclusions of brick fragments, mortar and charcoal	20^th C
1003	backfill	2	s	various	sandy clay, brown, inclusions of brick, mortar, charcoal and sand	20^th C
1004	make-up	3	s	terracotta	brick bonded with lime mortar	19^th C
1005	make-up	4	s	terracotta	brick bonded with lime mortar	19^th C
1006	make-up	5	s	terracotta	brick bonded with lime mortar	19^th C
1007	make-up	6	s	terracotta	brick bonded with lime mortar	19^th C
1008	make-up	7	s	terracotta	brick set on a bed of clean sand	19^th C
1009	backfill	-	s	10yr 3/2	fine silt, very dark greyish brown, containing brick rubble, mortar and 19^th century debris	20^th C
1010	make-up	8	s	-	cast iron gaspipe, 30 cm diameter	19^th C
1011	layer	-	s	various	fine silt, black, containing lime mortar and 19^th century debris	19^th C
1012	layer	-	s	10yr 3/2	sandy clay, very dark greyish brown, containing charcoal, shell, ceramic building material, animal bone	post-med?
1013	backfill	9	s	10yr 3/2	silty clay, very dark greyish brown, containing ceramic building material, animal bone and mortar	post-med?
1014	layer	-	s	10yr 4/1	sandy silty clay, dark grey, containing lime mortar and 19^th century ceramic	19^th C
1015	layer	-	s	10yr 4/2	silty sandy clay, dark greyish brown, containing lime mortar, brick and animal bone	19^th C

Table 2. Intervention 2 summary of feature records
F No.	Identity	Contexts	Dimensions (m)	Profile
1	service trench	1002	2.80 (visible length) x 0.46 width	rectangular
2	service trench	1003	2.90 (visible length) x 0.90 width	rectangular
3	wall	1004	1.60 (visible in section)	unseen
4	wall	1005	2.00 (visible length) x 0.70 width	unseen
5	wall	1006	2.14 (length) x 0.30 width	unseen
6	wall	1007	1.44 (length) x 0.20 width	unseen
7	floor	1008	1.74 (length) x 1.40 width x 0.20 depth	rectangular
8	gas main	1010	1.40 (visible length) x 0.30 diameter	circular
9	pit/ditch	1013	0.80 (visible width) x 0.80 (visible depth)	U-shaped