York Historic Environment Record

Between 10th & 11th December 2012, York Archaeological Trust maintained a watching brief on excavation works in the basement of York Dungeon, 12 Clifford Street, York. The work undertaken involved the excavation of a square trench measuring 1.60m across and 1.50m in depth. This was designed to act as a sump and was connected to several roughly north-south linear trenches up to 0.60m in width and 0.50m in depth. These trenches spanned the width of the building and were sunk to hold a 100mm diameter pipe system to channel floodwater from a drain set in a threshold on the southern side of the building to the sump in the building’s centre (Figures 1-3). Drain trenches on the north side of the sump could then be used to transport water pumped out of the sump to drains on the building’s northern frontage. Little or no archaeological work has been carried out within the footprint of 12 Clifford Street; therefore the aim of the watching brief was to ascertain the level of survival of archaeological deposits beneath the building’s foundations. The recording strategy involved the taking of written notes, colour digital photographs and measured sketch sections where appropriate.