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Edinburgh, 21 Holyrood Road, St Mary's Brewery

Brewery (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Edinburgh, 21 Holyrood Road, St Mary's Brewery

Classification Brewery (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) South Back Of Canongate; Messrs Aitchison And Co

Canmore ID 188523

Site Number NT27SE 4404

NGR NT 26286 73565

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/188523

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

  • Council Edinburgh, City Of
  • Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
  • Former Region Lothian
  • Former District City Of Edinburgh
  • Former County Midlothian

Architecture Notes

NT 27 SE 2629 7355

This building is depicted on the OS 1:2500 scale map (1908, Edinburghshire Sheet II 8) and has since been demolished. Information from RCAHMS (S.C.) July 2001.

Activities

Trial Trench (15 April 2013 - 18 April 2013)

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by CFA in April 2013 on land between Canongate, Holyrood Road and St John Street in Edinburgh. Five trenches were excavated: 133m² was examined to the east of St Mary's Land and 42m sq to the west. The evaluation has identified that: Foundations and discontinuous interior surfaces of the 19th century brewery buildings survive in the eastern side of the site close to the surface, extensively damaged through their demolition and the later use of the site, and covered in demolition material. What are interpreted as garden soils of potentially medieval to post-medieval date are present between 1.44m and 2m below the site surface and are present to depths greater than 3m below the current site surface. The evidence from the evaluation supports that of the site investigation which suggests that the natural subsurface rises towards the present day surface quite rapidly as one moves north from the southern boundary wall. The evaluation also supports the theory that the deeper soil deposits are constrained to the southern part of the site.

Information from CFA Archaeology (Ian Suddaby) May 2013. OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-149043

Project (25 March 2013)

Balfour Beatty has been granted planning permission from the City of Edinburgh Council for a student housing development on land between Canongate, Holyrood Road and St John Street, Edinburgh. The terms of the planning consent required a programme of archaeological works including a trial trenching evaluation and a photographic survey of the southern boundary wall fronting Holyrood Road.

Information from (CFA Archaeology Ltd).

Archaeological Evaluation (1 May 2013 - 30 May 2015)

This report presents the results of phase 3 of an archaeological evaluation undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) in May 2013 on land between Canongate, Holyrood Road and St John Street in the City of Edinburgh (NGR: NT 26295 73690) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Balfour Beatty. This phase of evaluation has confirmed that: 1. Foundations and discontinuous interior surfaces of the 19th century brewery buildings survive in the eastern side of the southern end of the site close to the surface. The remains have been extensively damaged through their demolition and the later use of the site. No in situ deposits were identified and the building remains were mostly covered in demolition material. 2. The depth to the natural subsurface varies across the site. The evidence from the evaluations support that of the site investigation which suggests that the natural subsurface rises towards the present day surface quite rapidly as one moves north from the southern boundary wall. The evaluation also supports the theory that the deeper soil deposits are constrained to the southernmost part of the site.

Information from Bruce Glendinning (CFA Archaeology Ltd) June 2013.OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-214090.

Excavation (1 May 2013 - 14 February 2014)

An archaeological excavation and watching brief undertaken on the site of the new Edinburgh University development on the north side of Holyrood Road, Edinburgh. Trial trenching evaluations identified that deep archaeological deposits survived at the southern end of the site along the Holyrood Road frontage. These consisted of the remains 19th century brewery structures overlying deep garden soil deposits, which in turn overlay medieval remains. The excavation identified: 1) In the 19th Century the Burgage Plots along the rear of the High Street / Canongate were heavily developed with Industrial buildings, mostly breweries and the excavations uncovered remains of both the Edinburgh and Leith Brewery and the St Mary's Brewery. 2) Below the brewery deep deposits of organic rich garden soil containing large quantities of finds such a pottery, clay pipe and animal bone and quantities of ash and coal were identified. These organic rich garden soils rich in artefacts are probably best explained as being the result of manuring with night soil and domestic rubbish. Map evidence suggests that the area was largely given over to horticulture certainly from the 17th Century onwards and the excavations prior to the Scottish Parliament construction suggest this "gardening" in the burgage plots could go back to the 16th Century. 3) Prior to this, evidence that the burgage plots were certainly in use sometime from around the 12th century and were probably being divided up with north-south aligned boundaries from an early date. The early use of the plots in this part of the Canongate seems to have been industrial, with a concentration on tanning. It is possible that other activities were taking place further to the north in these plots but the location of our work at the southern end would have been ideal for industrial processes such as tanning.

Information from Stuart Mitchell (CFA Ltd) November 2014. OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-213355

Standing Building Recording (1 May 2013 - 30 May 2013)

A pre-demolition survey was undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd in May 2013 of the existing southern boundary wall within the new Edinburgh University development on Holyrood Road, Edinburgh. Ordnance Survey mapping indicated that the wall was probably part of the Holyrood Road frontage of the former Edinburgh and Leith Brewery that once occupied part of the development site.

Information from Stuart Mitchell (CFA Archaeology Ltd) August 2013. OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-214088

References

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