Archaeological watching brief at St Swithun's Church, Church Street, Worcester

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken on behalf of Rodney Melville and Partners at St Swithun's Church, Church Street, Worcester, Worcestershire (NGR SO 8505 5495; HER ref WCM 102305). The excavation of five trial holes along the length of the nave and chancel was monitored. This involved removal of uninscribed leger slabs, which were bedded on concrete. This overlay rubble levelling layers which in turn overlay a floor surface of unmortared machine made red bricks, within the three central trial holes. A wooden stake was observed to have been set into the floor surface of the central trial hole, probably part of a wooden structure of unknown form, scale or function. Where the bricks were removed, they were bedded on a layer of soft loose mid grey clinker, ash and silts, with debris of mid-18 th th to early 20 century date. No brick surface was observed in the eastern and westernmost trial holes, where instead a loose rubble and silty sand matrix was noted. The investigation was able to demonstrate, within the constraints of the trial holes' visibility, that there were no vaults or human remains within 0.30-0.44m depth below the present floor surface. An archaeological watching brief was undertaken on behalf of Rodney Melville and Partners at St Swithun's Church, Church Street, Worcester, Worcestershire (NGR SO 8505 5495; HER ref WCM 102305). The excavation of five trial holes along the length of the nave and chancel was monitored. This involved removal of uninscribed leger slabs, which were bedded on concrete. This overlay rubble levelling layers which in turn overlay a floor surface of unmortared machine made red bricks, within the three central trial holes. A wooden stake was observed to have been set into the floor surface of the central trial hole, probably part of a wooden structure of unknown form, scale or function. Where the bricks were removed, they were bedded on a layer of soft loose mid grey clinker, ash and silts, with debris of mid-18 th th to early 20 century date. No brick surface was observed in the eastern and westernmost trial holes, where instead a loose rubble and silty sand matrix was noted. The investigation was able to demonstrate, within the constraints of the trial holes' visibility, that there were no vaults or human remains within 0.30-0.44m depth below the present floor surface.