York Historic Environment Record

Between 10 January and 14 March 2007 York Archaeological Trust carried out an archaeological excavation in advance of the redevelopment of Block E of the Hungate (York) Regeneration Project (HYR) scheme. The earliest deposits encountered were alluvial deposits, which indicate that this site lay on the margins of the King's Pool during the medieval period. This area was reclaimed from the Pool by the 17th century and a soil developed across the site. Rows of narrow linear features, cut into the lower part of the soil, are interpreted as lazy beds, and indicate that the soils were initially associated with horticulture. The upper part of the soil was cut by larger, mortar filled pits which are regarded as garden features. It seems the area was turned over to more residential use by the early 19th century, and the site now lay in the back gardens of properties fronting onto Palmer Lane and Lower Dundas Street. Subsequently, the properties were subdivided with large brick walls. The garden soils were overlain by cindery surfaces, and both these deposits and pits cut into them contained quantities of domestic waste. The one building encountered was a well-preserved block of five toilets, flushed by an unusual Duckett tipper flush system. This evidence points to increasing occupation levels in the vicinity in the late 19th/early 20th century. The area was cleared in the 1940s and turned over to industrial use.