NHER 45485 (Monument record) - 17th century moated site, Alderson Road

August-September 2006. Borehole Survey.
Window sample survey of proposed development site. From Context 1.
This survey comprised five sample holes positioned to intercept an infilled 17th century moat. The investigation confirmed that the moat extends across the southern boundary of the development site, and there was no evidence of the moat at the northern end of the site. The results also suggest that the moat had not silted up and may have been cleaned and re-cut. Two main phases of infill were identified within the moat, both of which are probably associated with levelling of the site prior to the establishment of Garrison Road and subsequent regrading during the late Victorian period in order to build terraced houses in this area. Some samples contained wet deposits, indicating that the former moat was at least partially filled by water in the past. No artefacts were recovered during this survey.
A moat was constructed in this area in the 17th century, approximately 80m to the north of the medieval town wall. The moat is visible on Faden's map of 1797. The moat has been infilled by 1887, as the site is shown as undeveloped ground on the earliest Ordnance Survey map of the area.
See report (S1) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 4 December 2007.