A1 Soil Stack: Preservation in situ of fragile stone buildings beneath embankments (project 3907). Assessment report
Author(s): Sarah May, Ian Panter, Toru Higuchi, Thomas Cromwell, Gill Campbell, Sarah Jennings, Polydora Baker
This report presents the results of a 2005 excavation at a Romano-British settlement at Castle Hills, Yorkshire. The site was first investigated in 2003 by Oxford Archaeology North (OAN) in advance of construction works for the A1(M) motorway. Since it borders the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Castle Hills (SAM No. 31531) and showed a complex archaeological profile it was agreed that the site should be preserved in situ. Since preservation involved covering the site with a soil stack for the duration of construction it provided an opportunity to study the effects of soil stacks on archaeology. As the site is preserved in situ it was not appropriate to pursue substantial intrusive investigations. We simply assessed the condition and value of the archaeological resource in comparison with its pre-construction profile. Data from the excavation is presented alongside survey and geotechnical data collected during the construction and removal of the soil stack. Our data are also compared to the data from the OAN excavation. The condition of the site is better than expected. This report also helps define the extent of pressure which soil stacks put on archaeological sites in other circumstances including embankment construction where archaeology is preserved in situ.
- Report Number:
- 78/2011
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 50
- Keywords:
- Survey Compression Earth Pressure Cell Preservation in Situ Stratigraphy
