York Historic Environment Record

Sewer repair - watching brief Between 23rd and 26th January 2012 York Archaeological Trust undertook a watching on works in Toft Green, York. The objective was to record any deposits, features or buried structures exposed during the excavation of a trench approximately 3m x 3m and 3m deep dug in order to repair a collapsed sewer. The trench was visited on a regular, daily, basis until the actual excavation work had been completed Recording was by means of written notes and measured sketches supplemented by a number of colour digital photographs. A single representative section was recorded. Although no dating evidence was recovered from this work it was clear that most, if not all of the observed contexts were fairly or very modern although Context 1000 may consist of redeposited Roman contexts or natural. It was not certain if the sewer had been tunnelled or placed in a trench. The limestone blocks from Context 1001 may have been derived from Medieval structures judging from their size and appearance but if so they seen to have been completely destroyed during the insertion of 1002 which was probably an original inspection shaft for the sewer. At some point in the modern period this became disused and was filled with concrete and this was probably the ultimate cause of the sewer collapsing. It would appear that no archaeology at all survives within this trench.