York Historic Environment Record

Between November 2007 and June 2008 York Archaeological Trust undertook a watching brief at 3 St. Sampson’s Square, York. In advance of internal alterations to the structure York Archaeological Trust observed the sinking of a borehole within the building and also the excavation of a number of test pits designed to investigate the foundations of the structure. The archaeological work was commissioned by Brierley Groom and Associates on behalf of their clients Town Centre Securities Plc of Leeds. The internal works were undertaken by F. W. Leighton (Construction) Ltd of York. As well as the borehole, four test pits were observed and recorded. Although there was no confirmed record of the borehole sequence from modern ground level to 1.6m below ground level (BGL) it probably was a modern floor overlying brick rubble. Between 1.6 and 2.1m BGL there was a mixture of brick rubble and concrete and from 2.1 to 2.3m BGL there was a firm, plastic, brown clay. Below this, at 2.3 to 2.6m BGL, there was a moist, dark greyish-brown silt with frequent limestone fragments. Between 2.6 and 3m BGL there was a partial void but also some very moist, dark grey, fine silt, possibly slightly organic from its smell, with occasional charcoal and lenses of light grey sand. Between 3 and 3.6m BGL a firm, mid brown, plastic clay was recorded and the lowest deposit noted, between 3.6 and 6m, was a firm, brown clay turning to a compact, mid brown clayey sand lower down. The only deposits of any archaeological note were seen in the borehole and are probably to be interpreted as a clay dump overlying build-up or possibly occupation deposits and have not been subject to any significant damage during the present works.