Basic info

Collection

Archaeology

Title

Woolpack House, The Stonebow, York. A Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief and Excavation.

Object name

Report

Object category

Archaeological site

Description

During the alterations and rebuilding of Woolpack House, The Stonebow, York, the excavation of four bore holes and 49 engineering pits was observed and three areas were subject to full archaeological excavation. The earliest archaeological feature recorded was a possible roman feature identified in Excavation Trench 3. In the Underpinning pits excavated along the line of the boundary wall with Peasholme House on the north-west side of Woolpack House, a ditch was observed that followed closely the line of the existing boundary. Pottery from the fill of the ditch is thought to date to the late Anglo-Scandinavian or Medieval period. Also from within this fill was collected a large quantity of horn-core and animal bone. This perhaps suggests the area was used for craft activity. The majority of the features encountered were associated with structures and yards associated with buildings demolished for the construction of The Stonebow in 1955. The structural remains were predominantly brick foundations and brick built culverts. Some of the bricks within the culverts appeared to have been reused and their dimensions suggested a 17th century date. Within the three areas of full excavation further evidence for post-medieval activity was recorded in the form of a cess pit and the remains of a cobbled yard.