York Historic Environment Record

The Carmelite Street area seems to have been dry land during the Roman period, with river channels on either side. Perhaps the area was then a peninsula at the confluence of the River Foss and Tang Hall Beck; alternatively, it could have been’ an Island in the River Foss. Three trenches excavated revealed a possible Medieval quay overlain by Post Medieval domestic & industrial dumped refuse. Most notable was a timber revetment with a facing of horizontal planks, supported to the south by a massive 2m-long post, and retaining on its north side a series of dumps dated by associated pottery to at least the late 13th century. Evidently, extensive dumping along the north side of the King’s Fishpool had reduced the width of the lake by half; the revetment probably also acted as a quay, with deep water immediately to the south. This reclaimed land was presumably part of the Carmelite friary, which had been established In this area of York at the end of the 13th century - hence the name of the modern street adjacent to the site. Later In the medieval period, and into the post-medieval period, further dumps covered the revetment raising the ground level still higher and encroaching even further south into the King’s Fishpool (INTERIM 1996). Twenty plus 15th-16th century shoes and boots in an excellent state of preservation were recovered from the site. These are discussed in INTERIM 21/2 1996. Museum accession code: 1991.9. Interim : bulletin of the York Archaeological Trust 26-29 16.1/1991 Virtual Catalogue Entry to support E.I. Migration 1991/Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Carmelite Street, York. York Archaeological Trust annual report 23 /1991-92