York Historic Environment Record

The project entails a programme of archaeological investigations to establish the archaeological potential of a parcel of land – the YET site – within the curtilage of York Railway Station which is proposed for re-development by Network Rail. The main archaeological interest of the site falls into three categories: evidence for prehistoric and Roman period activity previously recorded in the near vicinity; the possible presence of evidence of later occupation; and, the likely survival of structures associated with York’s well-documented importance not only as the heart of railway development through Yorkshire and the North-East in the mid Victorian period, but also as one of the UK’s chief centres of employment in the railway industry through to the late 20th century. The aims of the archaeological investigations are: to characterise the nature and distribution of buried archaeological remains across the site; to assess the significance of the buried archaeological remains; to assess the likely impact of the re-development proposals upon the buried archaeological remains; to provide the basis for exploring the feasibility of preserving, in situ, any remains deemed regionally or nationally significant through engineering design; and to inform the detailed engineering design of the scheme; to inform the scope and design of other mitigation measures, should they be required. Accordingly, the scheme of archaeological work has been appropriately designed to provide sufficient information on the archaeological resource at the site to the Local Planning Authority, the City of York Council, as well as to the project’s design team. The potential survival of extensive buried remains associated with the rich and important railway heritage of the site represents a key consideration in the design of this archaeological investigation. It is recognised that, should coherent remnants of these historic rail structures be found to be extant, they are likely to become the focus of considerable public interest, particularly given their proximity to the National Railway Museum. In anticipation of the need to define the opportunities for preserving such remains, the exposure and detailed recording of a substantial portion of them is included in the scope of these investigations. Effectively, excavation and recording tasks that might normally be undertaken as part of a post-planning mitigation stage, are in this special case being brought forward to provide a sound basis for detailed engineering design of the scheme