York Historic Environment Record

Between 5th and 22nd June 2023, York Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation in the grounds of the Deanery allotment, to the rear of the Deanery Garages on Minster Court. Further to this work, a watching brief was undertaken between 18th and 22nd September 2023. The work was undertaken for the Minster Dean and Chapter to help inform a Scheduled Monument Consent. The Scheduled Monument Consent was part of a planning application that was under consideration by the City of York Council for the installation of an attenuation tank as part of the York Minster ‘Centre of Excellence’ project. The work involved the excavation and recording of a single evaluation trench from the present ground level to the invert level of the attenuation tank, followed by a watching brief for the installation of drainage. The evaluation trench revealed a sequence of archaeological deposits, ranging from the Roman period to the present day. Demolition deposits and a wall dating to the 17th/18th centuries were identified. These deposits post-dated a substantial boundary ditch which was backfilled in the 14th century. The boundary ditch was cut through a thick soil deposit, likely to be the result of a period of abandonment at the site. Below this horizon was a series of surfaces, a robber trench and discrete features relating to various phases of later Roman structural activity, both truncating and overlying an earlier Roman building. The structural Roman features were left in situ at the formation level of the proposed attenuation tank and, therefore, geological deposits were not observed.