Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars) Gloucester Gloucestershire for Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council CA Project: 5577 CA Report: 16366 September 2016 Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars) Gloucester Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 5777 CA Report: 16366 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A September A Barber Internal Cliff 2016 review Bateman B November A Barber Final Following GCC Cliff 2016 comments Bateman This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Cotswold Archaeology © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................3 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................4 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND................................................................5 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES...................................................................................6 4. METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................7 5. RESULTS ..........................................................................................................8 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................20 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ..........................................................................30 8. DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................36 9. CA PROJECT TEAM..........................................................................................41 10. REFERENCES...................................................................................................42 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ....................................................................45 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS..............................................................................................55 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE.........................................72 APPENDIX D: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES .....................77 APPENDIX E: OASIS REPORT FORM...........................................................................78 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:1250) Fig. 3 Trench 1: Plan and section (1:50) Fig. 4 Trench 1: Photographs Fig. 5 Trench 2: Plan and sections (1:100 and 1:20) Fig. 6 Trench 2: Section (1:50) Fig. 7 Trench 2: Photographs Fig. 8 Trench 3A: Plan and section (1:100 and 1:50) Fig. 9 Trench 3A: Photographs Fig. 10 Trench 3B: Plan and section (1:100 and 1:50) Fig. 11 Trench 3B: Photographs Fig. 12 Trench 4: Plan and sections (1:100 and 1:50) Fig. 13 Trench 4: Photographs Fig. 14 Trench 5: Plan and sections (1:100 and 1:50) Fig. 15 Trench 5: Photographs Fig. 16 Trench 6: Plan and section (1:100 and 1:20) and photographs Fig. 17 Trench 6: Plan and section (1:100 and 1:20) and photographs Fig. 18 Photographs 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars) Location: Gloucester, Gloucestershire NGR: Centred on NGR: SO 8292 1855 Type: Evaluation Date: 4 April-24 June 2016 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery Accession Number: GLRCM 2016.13 Site Code: QBG 16 SMC reference: S00131394 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between April and June 2016 at Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire. Seven trenches were excavated. Trenching identified potential natural sands and riverine alluvium, elements of the Roman defensive circuit, Roman walls and floors associated with several probable town houses, Anglo-Saxon and/or medieval deposits, including probable ditches associated with the 11th and/or 12th-century AD castles, and post-medieval and modern structural remains. The results provide valuable additional information on the Roman, medieval and later development of the site. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between April and June 2016 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council at Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: SO 8292 1855; Fig. 1). 1.2 A masterplan is being prepared by Peter Brett Associates for the redevelopment and regeneration of the site. It is anticipated that the masterplan will form part of a Local Development Order (LDO) for the site that will set out a deliverable scheme which takes account of identified technical constraints and opportunities. A programme of archaeological trenching was recommended by Andrew Armstrong, Gloucester City Archaeologist, the archaeological advisor to Gloucester City Council (GCC), and by Melanie Barge, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England (HE) to provide information on archaeological deposits within the site to inform this process. Scheduled Monument (SMC) was granted for the evaluation trenching (SMC Ref: S00131394). 1.3 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for trial trenching (2016) prepared by Andrew Armstrong, GCC, and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2016) that was approved by Andrew Armstrong and Mel Barge (GCC and HE respectively). The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), the Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (English Heritage 2006). It was monitored by Andrew Armstrong, (GCC) and Mel Barge (HE), including regular site visits. The site 1.4 The site includes land within the ownership of both Gloucestershire County Council (Quayside) and Gloucester City Council (Blackfriars) (Fig. 2). The area known as ‘Quayside’ is approximately 1.75ha in extent and includes land to the north-west of Barbican Road. Several buildings are currently located here, including the County Garage, the Quayprint Building and the Ship Inn (all currently vacant), Quayside House, the Quayside car park (currently in use) and Shire Hall Block 6 currently occupied by the Magistrates Court. The area known as ‘Blackfriars’ is approximately 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1.1ha and includes land to the south-east of Barbican Road, comprising a largely cleared site, currently used as a temporary car park with one remaining building occupied by Gloucester Music School on a temporary basis. 1.5 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Jurassic and Triassic Blue Lias and Charmouth Mudstone formations overlain throughout the western extent of the site by Quaternary superficial tidal flat deposits consisting of clay, sand and silt (BGS 2016). The natural substrate was not exposed during the current works with the possible exception of a clean, mineralised, sands that was noted at the limit of excavation within Trench 3B. 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The proposed development lies in an area of high archaeological potential, as highlighted by a preceding Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment (CA 2013) and by an Historic Environment Study of the proposed development area (CA 2016). Both documents should be consulted for a full, detailed background to the archaeology of the application area. 2.2 The entire site lies within the Barbican Conservation Area (Gloucester City Council Conservation Area No. 6), with part of the Blackfriar’s site forming a notification area of Scheduled Monument 1002101 – Glevum Roman colonia (formerly Gloucestershire County Monument 330). 2.3 Previous archaeological investigations within the site and its immediate vicinity have identified potential for the Roman town houses, a Roman river frontage and quay (identified north of the site, where it dated from the 1st century AD but appeared to have been realigned further to the west during the later 2nd/3rd century AD), Anglo- Saxon settlement activity, remains of the 11th-century AD motte and bailey castle and of the subsequent 12th-century castle. The site contains archaeological remains of national and regional importance, reflected in the scheduled status of parts of the site. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology Greater Blackfriars (Quayside/Blackfriars), Gloucester, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 The objectives of the evaluation were to provide information about the archaeological resource within the site in accordance with Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). This information