York Historic Environment Record

Monitoring of the site investigation works revealed natural deposits between 1.80m and 5.90m BGL. Above the natural, in the southern part of the site, were medieval made ground deposits and potential structures, despite previous flood defence works in the area. These deposits were overlain by post-medieval levelling and demolition layers, which were present across the site and were subsequent overlain by 19th century garden soils. Trial pits along the western abbey wall revealed the extent of made ground during the late medieval to modern periods. Evidence of chamfered coursing was recorded along the exterior face of the wall, in trial pits TP09 and TP15, with double chamfering present in TP15, at a depth of up to 1m below present ground level. The decorative nature of this coursing heavily suggests that it was originally designed to be above ground level, generally towards the base of structures. Possible footings were recorded in TP12 and TP13, 1.30m (TP13) and 0.45m (TP12) below the present ground level.