Yorkshire Archaeology Today Blocks Within Thedevelopment Excavation Areas Seto Theproject
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Great Expectations for the Hungate Excavation The Hungate excavation: seven years in pre-production, five years in production and a Above: View of the further two years in post-production. The Hungate excavation has its own financiers, Hungate excavations its executives, its own director, its producers, its technical staff, its actors, a potential looking south-east from cast of 1000s and possibly even its own villains, here and there. Sounds more like a Stonebow Hollywood blockbuster than a large-scale urban excavation! So why the film analogy? Well, the Hungate being carried out as a scheme of archaeological excavations are the largest in York for 25 mitigation due to the below-ground years and during the intervening quarter of implications that the new development may a century the profile of archaeology has have on the archaeology of the area. As the changed considerably. The rise of popular development has six phases of construction, TV programmes such as Time Team, the five of which should be in place by 2012, the proliferation of archaeology/history Hungate excavations will take place over the documentaries and TV channels, the growth next five years, with the work in the Block H in archaeology magazines, the number of area to be completed by 2011. The Block H Peter Connelly archaeologists that pop up on the silver screen area will take up to five years to excavate as all and in computer games and, of course, instant of the archaeology has to be removed prior access to archaeological information through to the start of the building development, the internet have all fuelled the demand upwards of 2.5m deep in stratigraphy in for participation, access to and educational places, and it has to be completed by the end involvement in archaeology. Thus the levels of 2011 as the Block H area is the final phase of expectation for an excavation such as of the development. Hungate can be huge and more immediately important to people than the next all-action For the archaeological works in the other summer smash blockbuster. It is time for development areas, some is on-going (the the Hungate excavations to meet these Block D Evaluation), some will start shortly expectations. (the ‘Focal Building’ and Block F area) and one area is about to be completed (Blocks The Script A, B and C). All of this work is overseen by The excavations are financed by Hungate John Oxley, the City Archaeologist for City (York) Regeneration Ltd as part of the urban of York Council. The script has been set. regeneration of the Hungate area, and are oday t rchaeology a orkshire y Excavation areas The Opening Scenes within the development Elsewhere in this magazine you will find to be created and each of these was excavated blocks an article on the Block E excavations that under archaeological conditions. Four of the were carried out from January to March this five manhole trenches revealed that this land year, an article about what has been found so had been considerably raised in the early to far on the Block H excavations that started mid 20th century to alleviate the flood risk in January, articles on the artefacts that have to the area and these considerable make-up been recovered from the excavations, and layers sealed the soils that belonged to former an article on the Community Archaeology playing fields, gardens and orchards. aspect of the project. However, the third of the manhole But what about that part of the site that trenches revealed considerable medieval is covered by Blocks A, B and C, the first archaeology at a depth of c.3m below the phase of development at Hungate? In mid- present ground surface (top of facing page). November 2006 the first element of the This archaeology appeared to suggest that archaeological works started along the River some form of managed tongue of land Foss within the south-eastern limits of the protruded into the King’s Pool or, at least, ran first phase development, where a new sewer parallel to the River Foss during the Middle was constructed for the redevelopment. The Ages. The strip of land was maintained by the pipe for the sewer was tunnelled and was at construction of wooden planked revetments such a depth that it did not disturb any of the over, quite probably, a number of centuries; archaeology; however, five new manholes had these appeared to have been replaced education. Elsewhere in this magazine you can read about the community archaeology and outreach programmes that have already been implemented as part of the excavations but here is a good place to summarise what YAT has done and what it has planned. oday t In conjunction with Jon Kenny, Greater York Community Archaeologist, the northern segment of the Block H area is rchaeology being excavated as part of a community a archaeology programme with tremendous input from Hungate Community Trust. This orkshire y area has also witnessed the participation of young people involved in the York Youth Offending Team programme getting to grips with the archaeology in a pilot scheme designed to make archaeology accessible to all. Further schemes of participation and outreach will be added in the coming months which will include school groups, further Work in progress in Trench volunteers, community groups and charitable groups. eventually by a wicker structure along the southern edge which probably helped with Training is also a paramount factor in the consolidation and drainage (below right). excavations and Hungate excavations will This strip of land was probably built and host YAT’s successful and highly regarded maintained between one thousand and seven Archaeology Live training school during the hundred years ago. After carefully removing summer of 2007 and, we hope, for many this medieval archaeology a cobble surface years to come (see the Block H article for was revealed, which may be Roman in date. further details). Archaeology Live is open to all, from those with no archaeological experience As for the rest of the Blocks A, B and whatsoever to those studying archaeology C development area, this has been covered at university and those in archaeology who by archaeological watching briefs and are looking for different experiences. In Bryan Antoni cleaning limited hand excavation. This lower level of addition to this the Hungate excavations medieval wicker archaeological intervention was due to the will host training schools for archaeology revetment fact that the subsequent building will hardly impinge on in situ archaeological deposits because of the substantial raising of the land in the middle of the 20th century. This work has revealed that the former topography of the landscape declined significantly to the east of Dundas Street towards open land that encapsulated playing fields, gardens, orchards, open land and even marsh land that was titled “liable to floods” on the maps of the early 20th century. A Cast of Thousands The other key components in the Hungate excavations are public participation and undergraduate students, archaeology taster Saturday 5 May and was extremely successful, days, archaeology work placements, mentoring with 530 people coming to see the dig in the schemes and themed courses inspired by the five hours that it was open to the public. The discoveries. next open day will be on 14 July 2007, the first day of National Archaeology Week. And then of course there is the access oday t for people who want to come and see the For those who can’t make it down to excavations or to find out what has been the site, want to know more about what the uncovered so far. Within the Block H archaeologists are uncovering or want to excavation area a public walkway has been know how to get involved, the days and times rchaeology a provided by Hungate (York) Regeneration of tours, or education programmes there is Ltd which will allow everyone to tour always the internet. Our Dig Hungate web orkshire around the excavations and see what the site, at www.dighungate.com, houses all the y archaeologists are uncovering on a daily basis. information about all the different aspects These site tours start on 28 May 2007 and of the excavation. This website will also hold will run, we hope, for the next five years. The downloadable versions of all the reports tour will start at DIG, the Trust’s hands-on that will be produced during the five years archaeology experience based in St Saviour’s of the excavation, updates of the finds that church in St Saviourgate, then continue down we are discovering and short films of various the short surviving length of Hungate, to different parts of the dig. the excavation site itself, where there will be a tour of Block H and finally a visit to the And with a mention of films I have now Hungate excavation HQ where people can come full circle. A cast of thousands makes a see what happens behind the scenes of the blockbuster movie, and a broad spectrum of excavation. the public getting involved with and visiting the Hungate dig will make this excavation. In conjunction with the Hungate tours the excavations will host free open days across Peter A. Connelly the year. The first open day took place on Project Director Hungate Excavations May 007 Visitors attending the first Open Day on 5th May 007 HUNGATE FINDS: 1 Evidence of Child Labour revealed in York! 5 Shock! Horror! Our Hungate undercover reporter reveals …‘Evidence has been discovered in York of the practice of using children as young as seven or eight for unhealthy and dangerous tasks, often working 10 to 12 hour days.’ Fortunately this evidence dates to the 1840s rather than the present day and has emerged during excavations of Victorian levels at Hungate.