York Historic Environment Record

In late January — early February 2001 York Archaeological Trust undertook archaeological evaluation of land close to the National Railway Museum, Leeman Road. The works demonstrated the presence of natural deposits within two trenches close to the moraine ridge on which Leeman Road runs. The basal part of an old plough soil may have survived in one of these trenches. Augering through the base of a trench some 70m from Leeman Road also reached natural deposits though these were at a depth of in excess of 2.50m below ground leveL No buried soil horizon was detected by the auger between the natural deposits and the modern fill. The remainder of the trenches, which were all located further to the south of Leeman Road revealed only modern infill including re-deposited natural sands and clays. The results of the evaluation were broadly comparable to earlier investigative works at the site in so far as a sloping ground profile at the north of the site and considerable infilling elsewhere had both been recognized previously.