The Re-Excavation of the Inveresk Hypocaust
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Proc SocAntiq Scot, (1988)8 11 , 177-179 re-excavatioe Th Inverese th f no k hypocaust Gordo ThomasnD * ABSTRACT Re-excavation Inveresk ofthe hypocaust revealed basementthe ofheateda room with putativea furnace to one side. The remains of a hypocausted building lying in the grounds of Inveresk House, East Lothian, for mfragmena originae th f o t l building uncovere 178n di 3 durin constructioe gth presene th f no t Inveresk to Musselburgh road (Moir 1860, 12). Over 200 years of exposure to the elements and modern curiosity have caused some decastructure th yo t e whic longeo n hs extensivi s ra whes ea n first discovere r recordedo centurda y late Robery b r t Stuart (1845 J Breez , D 159) r eD . (Historic Buildings and Monuments, SDD) initiated a programme of consolidation and preservation. Excava- tion was undertaken by the author in November and December 1987 in order to prepare the building for consolidation. This entailed clearin t accumulategou d debri undergrowtd an s h from withie nth structure and excavating down around the building to remove post 18th-century disturbances. No attempt was made to investigate further, although new details of the construction of the building were revealed. remaine Th s consis squara f to e hypocausted room ,3-6 y 2-6 b (extan 0m 0 m t internal measure- ments wit), h stone wall foundations preserve norte easth d hn dtan o side stond san e wall footings only on the south side. There was no wall or continuation of known walls to the west which was masked by heavy undergrowt supposee th eass e treesd th wa htan o d T .furnac e room 1-5 y (2- b interna 5m 0 m l measurements whicf )o h little survives basemen e flooe th .maiTh f e ro th nf o troo beed mha n paven di large irregular stone slabs which were set several centimetres below the level of the adjacent tiled furnace flooth f o r e room. wale Th l alon norte geasd th han t sides standthreo t o es tw course s high wit hwidta 0-8f ho 2 m- 1-0 m and was well constructed with an inner and an outer face of large blocks and a rubble core. There is a gap of 2-0 m along the east wall with square corners beyond which the wall continues for a furthe displace-8, 1 r 0m directlt wesno e d dth y0-1tan o t aligne stretc0e m th norte waln f dho th o ho lt of the opening. This part of the wall, as well as showing indications of structural differences, is also badly preserved. Through excavatio impressioe nth n gaine thas di t oncthis foundatioe swa eth a f no stone pier and not a continuation of the east wall. This also applies to the north-east corner of the furnace room wher similaea r stone havpiey rema stood botn I . h case adjoinine sth g furnace walld san the south stone wall footings appear to butt on to the piers and may be secondary. The walls of the furnace itself are poorly preserved and more roughly constructed, consisting of a mixture of large square blocks and smaller stones standing several courses high, from 0-40 m to 0-80 m wide and butted against the main walls. The furnace walls to the east and south are now almost * Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, George Square, Edinburgh 178 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1988 n sitI u floor tiles ILLUS 1 Plan of hypocausted building in the grounds of Inveresk House showing: 1-3, locations of the carved stones; 4, originae th l positio originae th , 1f n;5 o l floor supporte foun do r stone pillars; 6-7, location carvee th d f so d an worked stones; 8, channel?; 9, wall footing; 10, channel? non-existent, althoug openinn ha havy gema existe furnaceast e e flooe th th coveres f .Th o d ro t ewa d in clay tiles which only surviv situn ei alon norte gth h wall e edgth f .e o Thes e tile laie severasar n d i l indicaty layerma d esan resurfacin antiquityn gi flooe resth e f rfurnace o Th t.are th f ao e roos mwa covered by an irregular jumble of broken tiles and earth which appears to have subsided into the central portion of the room. A short stretch of channelling was uncovered. Four stone pillars supportin gsectioa floorinf no g northerstane th dn i nhypocause parth f to 5 ( t on illus 1). It is thought that these may have been re-erected. Certainly there are fewer of them than were recorded by Stuart in 1845 and the positioning of them is not square with the walls of the structure. Mortar around the tops of the pillars also indicates recent attempts at consolidation. The pillars themselve t identicalno e sar , being rounde squaro dt section ei havind nan g roughly-formed THOMAS RE-EXCAVATIOTHE : INVERESTHE NOF K HYPOCAUS179 | T rounded capitals and bases. The south-west pillar has almost no definition of the capital and base but is instead waisted. Severa large th f elo stone blocks fro wale mth l have been throw withie li e w nn th dow no d nan hypocaust room. In a few instances it has been possible to replace them with the help of old photograph plansd san . Mention should als made ob thref eo e square well-finished dan d blocks with markings upon them bese thesplan)f n .Th to o 1 e( , although broken beed ,ha n use cornea s da r stone at the junction of the main hypocaust walls and the furnace room where it faced out towards the room. letterine incorporates Th wa thi n gd o san ston I V ds e i withi n what appear frama panelse d b ean o s t . carvine Mosth beef d to gha n impossiblbrokew no s ni ofd reconstructo eft an othee stoneo .Th rtw s are inscribed with a V and VI, both on plain tooled faces. The stone with the V (2 on plan, illus 1) was cornee useth s da r foundation stonshore th n eti south stretc ease th tf hwalo l wher facet ei d upwards. thire Th d stonplann lyins o 3 e( )wa g loose withi buildinge nth . A shallow pit to the north of the building contained stones from the wall and rounded cobbles which had collapsed into it. No dating material was found within this pit, although it did respect the buildinge walth f lo otheo .N r find Romaf so n date were recovered, apart from scattered broken tiles. REFERENCES Romane Moir Th M 186 0D , antiquities of Inveresk. Edinburgh. Stuart, R 1845 Caledonia Romana: a descriptive account of the Roman antiquities of Scotland. Edinburgh. This paper publishedis ofgranta aid with the from Historicthe Buildings Monumentsand Directorate (SDD).