York Historic Environment Record

The works involved the archaeological monitoring and recording of the dismantling of the current footbridge, including stone piers, and extensive ground works to precipitate the replacement of the 1.8m footpath/cycle path with a 3.6m wide footpath/cycle path. In advance of the proposed works the bridge was recorded to by YAT buildings archaeologist Chris Curtis to Historic England Level III (YAT Report 2019/51). Initial monitoring involved the reduction of the railway embankment to create a stable base for the installation of sheet piles. A number of concrete stanchions were discovered when they obstructed the driving in of shoring sheet piles on the Marygate Car Park side of the railway embankment on the north side of the river. These were evidently the remains of a relatively modern structure built on wooden posts set on concrete stanchions, but it is uncertain what that structure was. Further works involved the reduction of the embankment to create the sloping path. Observations demonstrated that the embankment consisted of late 19th century– early 20th century material. The remains of a probable early 20th-century wall were found at the southern edge of site near York station; these were possibly the remains of an old boundary wall or platform. The watching brief also included the recording of architectural fragments from the stone parapets on top of the central pier and the two abutments. The different typology of the stone blocks is consistent with the original bridge construction in 1845 and the additions made between 1874 and 1877 at the construction of the new railway station.