York Historic Environment Record

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Field Archaeology Specialists (FAS) Ltd at Union Terrace Car Park, on behalf of Yorkshire Housing, during the excavation of foundation trenches and associated services for the new homeless centre for the York Arc Light Project. The work represented a programme of mitigation for the development informed by a desk-based appraisal and archaeological evaluation carried out by FAS in 2006. Fieldwork took place intermittently between 30th April to 9th July 2007. Subsoil was encountered during the excavation of manhole trenches, at a depth of 2.25m below ground level. Overlying clay layers were encountered, which may represent Roman or medieval landscaping deposits, though no dateable material was encountered. The majority of the features encountered were mortar-bonded brick walls, which relate to the 19th-century terraced housing which stood at the site until 1972. The footprints of nine properties were encountered, and the structural remains represent garden boundary walls, cellar structures and external and internal walls of the houses.