NHER 55569 (Monument record) - Upper Palaeolithic worked flints and evidence for Late Saxon to medieval activity

September 2003. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of Hi-Tech House site.
Areas of high archaeological potential were identified along the Blackfriars Street frontage and within the car park area, with good preservation expected in these areas. It is possible that the line of the Late Saxon defences ran along Blackfriars Street. Areas further from the street frontages were considered to be of medium archaeological potential, with a lower density of occupation expected in these areas, similar to that revealed by the evaluation trench (see above).
See report (S1) (included as an Appendix in (S2)) for further information .
A. Cattermole (NLA), 26 July 2010 and P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2015.

July 2010. Desk-based Assessment.
Impact assessment of proposed development area comprising this site and the land immediately to the south-west (NHER 37510).
See (S2) for further details, including the results of a geotechnical survey.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 26 July 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2015.

January-February 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Two trenches were opened, both of which were excavated to the top of natural gravel deposits (present at between 0.7m and 0.92m OD). Similar deposits sequences were observed in the two trenches, with the natural gravels sealed by buried soils that were in turn overlain by post-medieval and modern material.

A particularly significant discovery was a cluster of worked flints present at the top of gravel deposits at the base of Trench 2 (0.70m O.D). These flints appeared to be part of a larger group that extended beyond the excavated area. Although no diagnostic pieces were recovered the technological characteristics of the assemblage suggest it is an example of a Terminal Upper Palaeolithic ‘long blade’ industry. A smaller group of worked flints found at the base of Trench 1 is potentially of a similar date.
The assemblage from Trench 1 comprised:
1 piercer, 2 backed pieces, 7 burins, 3 notched blades, 2 notched flakes, 1 scraper and 9 miscellaneous retouched blades and flakes.
1 core, 1 core rejuvenation flake, 3 core trimmings, 1 crested blade, 66 blades, 75 flakes and 1 microburin.
19 chips, 7 indeterminate chunks and 70 indeterminate fragments.

A significant part of the assemblage is patinated and the majority of the pieces also display sporadic edge damage that is most likely the result of post-depositional processes. Large cores of the type typically associated with long blade production are absent as are distinctive edge-damage 'bruised blades' that are also commonly associated with Terminal Upper Palaeolithic industries. A number of large blades are however present and several of the flakes had clearly been removed from large cores. The flakes suggest that the intermediate and later stages of core working are represented, with few primary flakes identified. The blades are generally long and narrow (the largest 12.5cm long) with narrow, trimmed platforms. Most display diffuse or flat bulbs of percussion indicating use of light hammers and/or indirect percussion. A number of shorter blades possibly represent the products of a different core reduction strategy. A notable proportion of the assemblage displays evidence for secondary working, including a number of formal tools. At least one fragmentary microlith is present and a possible microburin is potentially further evidence for the production of microliths. Although the nature of the smaller unclassifiable debitage is indicative of in situ working there remains the possibility that the assemblage is a palimpsest, comprising material from more than one knapping episode. Samples taken from the deposits associated with the flint assemblage produced no plant remains other than sparse charcoal.

A number of worked flints were recovered from deposits overlying the natural gravels. Although a small number of pieces in Trench 1 were potentially residual Upper Palaeolithic material the majority were probably associated with later activity. With the exception of another microburin and a potentially Mesolithic flake core most are probably of later prehistoric date.

Excavation of the soils deposits overlying the natural gravels in Trench 1 produced an assemblage of Middle Saxon, Late Saxon and medieval pottery sherds. Multiple post-holes were recorded during the removal of the lower buried soil deposits. Dating evidence was limited, although small amounts of Late Saxon and medieval pottery were recovered from three of these features. At least two pits were also cuts through the soil deposits. Samples taken from the lower soil deposits produced evidence for metal-working in the form of slag fragments and hammerscale.
At a higher level two parallel lines of medieval post-holes were identified that almost certainly represented the remains of a structure. A potentially associated robber trench was also observed. These features were cut through a made-ground deposit that overlay a substantial floor surface of compacted chalk and mortar. No structure remains were observed in Trench 2, medieval remains being limited to a number of small pits. A sequence of deposits containing lenses of burnt material, partially fired clay and mortar was also identified in this trench. Post-medieval remains included a wall in Trench 1 associated with floor deposits and make-up layers and an 18th century garden feature in Trench 2.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
The Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage recovered during this phase of work will be the focus of a forthcoming publication (the results of a subsequent watching brief having been largely negative – see below).
Trench 1 was previously recorded under NHER 55576.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 September 2015.

January 2014. Watching Brief.
Archaeological monitoring of groundworks during redevelopment of site.
This work revealed little in the way of archaeologically significant remains, largely because the monitored groundworks did not penetrate beneath the modern and post-medieval layers. Several flint walls of probable post-medieval date were recorded during the excavation of ground-beam trenches and a small number of post-medieval finds were recovered from unstratified contexts.
It was intended that further groundworks would be monitored in February 2015, although unfortunately this did not take place as the contractor was not informed that excavations had recommended.
See report assessment report for further details. A publication report is proposed that will focus on the Terminal Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage recovered during the earlier evaluation. This assemblage will also be subject to further analysis.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 March 2016.