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ARCHAEOLOGY SERVICE - Hot
off the Spade - Spring 2001
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Events of the last six months have of course been overshadowed
by the death of Philip Barker in January. Many tributes have been
paid to him, but his influence locally should not be overlooked. His
salvage excavations in the 1960s, at Lychgate and Blackfriars, effectively
established the significance of Worcester's archaeology, after a period
in which many significant sites had been destroyed without record.The Origins of Worcester volume, published in 1970, contained reports on these sites, and also drew together material from the rather uneven antiquarian tradition which had existed in the city until the mid 20th century to create the first archaeological model for Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval Worcester. His subsequent work at the Cathedral again established the importance of a previously under-appreciated archaeological asset. All of the subsequent advances in knowledge and understanding of Worcester's past owe their origin to Philip Barker's pioneering work, and he will be greatly missed. The Urban Archaeological Database project continues. So far over 100 of the medieval and later monuments have been described, including churches, monastic houses and defences. These will form the core of the new Sites and Monuments Record database. Development-related work in the last six months has concentrated around the fringes of the historic city. On the east side, major developments are in the pipeline for the area between Pheasant Street, Tallow Hill and Shrub Hill, and for the former Hill, Evans vinegar works near Lowesmoor, more usually known as the Lowesmoor Trading Estate, which I mentioned in my last round-up. Evaluation of the Tallow Hill site (Worcestershire Archaeological Service) showed that there were several areas of archaeological significance, including the burial ground at Tallow Hill itself (a rare example of a closely dated cemetery from a period of rapid social and medical change in the mid 19th century), well preserved remains of the poorest level of housing of the same period, and well stratified waster dumps representing several phases of the Grainger porcelain works. Most of these remains are now likely to be preserved in situ. The vinegar works site has so far been the subject of a desk-based assessment (Archaeological Site Investigations), with field evaluation expected to follow when proposals are more developed. Further evaluation in The Butts (University of Birmingham Field Archaeology Unit) showed that the well preserved Roman remains already identified extend further across the site. Two evaluations on the west side of the river, at Tybridge Street (University of Birmingham Field Archaeology Unit) and Hylton Road (Worcestershire Archaeological Service), produced largely negative results, and graphically demonstrated the huge build-up of deposits over the floodplain. Sandstone structures have turned up in three watching briefs around the city centre. At The Foregate (Worcestershire Archaeological Service), stone walls seem to have related to the reuse of city wall fabric in early post-medieval cellars. The city wall itself turned up in a watching brief at the Kings Head in Sidbury (Worcestershire Archaeological Service), while a wall recorded at Band House on South Quay (Marches Archaeology) may have been part of a medieval quayside building. In the heart of Worcester, the Guildhall is the visible symbol of the corporate identity of the city, now represented by the City Council. A scheme to provide disabled access to the Guildhall is being developed and will include a lift in the north wing. A trial excavation here (by Mike Napthan) has shown that the base of the lift shaft will be excavated entirely through archaeological deposits. These include foundations of a probable Roman building, a medieval foundation, potentially of the first Guildhall, and demolition deposits dating from the construction of the present building in the early 18th century - which may themselves contain important evidence of the medieval Guildhall. Well beyond the city centre, the excavation at the Park & Ride car park at Perdiswell (Worcestershire Archaeological Service) produced exciting results. Although the site was not well preserved, enough evidence was recovered to suggest that it was not a round barrow, but a substantial circular palisaded enclosure, dated by pottery to the early to middle Bronze Age. In form it is similar to the 'enclosed urnfield' cemetery sites found in the Pennines, but not previously known from Worcestershire. |
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