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Edinburgh, Leith, Sandport Place/ronaldson's Wharf

No Class (Event)

Site Name Edinburgh, Leith, Sandport Place/ronaldson's Wharf

Classification No Class (Event)

Canmore ID 51971

Site Number NT27NE 53

NGR NT 2695 7648

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/51971

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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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

Archaeology Notes

NT27NE 53 2695 7648

All deposits located were of nineteenth or twentieth century date.

N M M Holmes 1976; A T Simpson, S Stevenson and N Holmes 1981.

NT 269 765 An archaeological watching brief was conducted between August and December 2001 on selected groundworks associated with a housing development. The development area had already been subject to archaeological excavation (DES 1999, 40-41), which uncovered evidence of medieval occupation. During this watching brief, the foundations of demolished post-medieval structures fronting Sandport Place and the Water of Leith were recorded. These are depicted on Wood's plan of 1777 and partly comprised a carpenter's yard.

Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsor: City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service.

S Stronach 2002

NT 2693 7650 (centre) Excavation was undertaken between March and May 2003, prior to the start of construction, in order to complete the excavation of the western side of Sandport Street (Area F) started in 1997 (DES 1999, 40-41). Three trenches were opened up:

Area F extension. This area formed a 12 x 12m extension to the NE corner of the 1997 excavations and fronted onto Sandport Street. Situated over the top of the sand dune, the construction of a later 18th-century tenement had truncated much of the central area of the site. Survival, however, increased as the underlying dune sloped towards the S and also along the street frontage, and significant archaeological deposits dating from the mid-12th century were recovered. These included the possible remains of an early medieval timber building fronting onto Sandport Street; well-stratified sequences of rubbish pits dating from the 12th century; and late and post-medieval industry, including the base of a 1.5m diameter iron kettle.

Trench I. This trench (22.5 x 3m) was machine-excavated to extend and complete the western section across the site, locate the western side of the Balkers Office, and also to try and locate the medieval road leading to St Anthony's Chapel, located under Cromwell's Citadel to the W. The trench revealed that the construction of the Balkers Office in 1788 and later tenement cellars had removed any earlier medieval remains from this area.

Trench J. This trench (5 x 2m) was excavated to provide more information regarding the remains of a post-medieval cellar recorded in 1997 lying across the northernmost burgage plot. The trench revealed a c 1.5m deep cellar with the remains of a cobbled floor, badly disturbed by WW2 air raid shelters. Anglo-Dutch tin-glazed pottery recovered from a rich midden deposit dates the backfilling of the cellar to the mid-17th century.

Archive deposited in Edinburgh SMR.

Sponsor: Port of Leith Housing Association.

J A Lawson 2003

Activities

Field Visit (1981)

All deposits located were of nineteenth or twentieth century date.

N M M Holmes 1976; A T Simpson, S Stevenson and N Holmes 1981.

Watching Brief (August 2001 - December 2001)

NT 269 765 An archaeological watching brief was conducted between August and December 2001 on selected groundworks associated with a housing development. The development area had already been subject to archaeological excavation (DES 1999, 40-41), which uncovered evidence of medieval occupation. During this watching brief, the foundations of demolished post-medieval structures fronting Sandport Place and the Water of Leith were recorded. These are depicted on Wood's plan of 1777 and partly comprised a carpenter's yard.

Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsor: City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service.

S Stronach 2002

Excavation (March 2003 - May 2003)

NT 2693 7650 (centre) Excavation was undertaken between March and May 2003, prior to the start of construction, in order to complete the excavation of the western side of Sandport Street (Area F) started in 1997 (DES 1999, 40-41). Three trenches were opened up:

Area F extension. This area formed a 12 x 12m extension to the NE corner of the 1997 excavations and fronted onto Sandport Street. Situated over the top of the sand dune, the construction of a later 18th-century tenement had truncated much of the central area of the site. Survival, however, increased as the underlying dune sloped towards the S and also along the street frontage, and significant archaeological deposits dating from the mid-12th century were recovered. These included the possible remains of an early medieval timber building fronting onto Sandport Street; well-stratified sequences of rubbish pits dating from the 12th century; and late and post-medieval industry, including the base of a 1.5m diameter iron kettle.

Trench I. This trench (22.5 x 3m) was machine-excavated to extend and complete the western section across the site, locate the western side of the Balkers Office, and also to try and locate the medieval road leading to St Anthony's Chapel, located under Cromwell's Citadel to the W. The trench revealed that the construction of the Balkers Office in 1788 and later tenement cellars had removed any earlier medieval remains from this area.

Trench J. This trench (5 x 2m) was excavated to provide more information regarding the remains of a post-medieval cellar recorded in 1997 lying across the northernmost burgage plot. The trench revealed a c 1.5m deep cellar with the remains of a cobbled floor, badly disturbed by WW2 air raid shelters. Anglo-Dutch tin-glazed pottery recovered from a rich midden deposit dates the backfilling of the cellar to the mid-17th century.

Archive deposited in Edinburgh SMR.

Sponsor: Port of Leith Housing Association.

J A Lawson 2003

References

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