An archaeological mitigation excavation was undertaken on the site of the former Swimming Baths at Sansome Walk, Worcester (NGR SO 85029 55664). It was commissioned by Beech Grove Homes, part of the Sanctuary Group, in advance of a proposed residential development. A planning application has been submitted to Worcester City Council and was subject to a programme of archaeological works, prior to determination. The project resulted from a breach of archaeological condition on an approved planning application to Worcester City Council and a subsequent new application. Previous archaeological works on site had revealed Roman activity at the rear of the modern Swimming Pool in the corner east of the site and exposed remains of the 19th century Turkish Baths in the north-west of the site, including a tiled corridor floor. The Local Planning Authority Planning Advisor requested that the street frontage on the west of the Site and the rear car park be excavated. The excavations on frontage exposed the 19th century footings of the former Turkish Baths and an adjacent private house on the frontage of Sansome Walk, shown on 1877 plans and the 1886 Ordnance Survey map. These had been heavily truncated during demolition works in the 1971, removing the majority of floors throughout the area, apart from the lower corridor of the Turkish Baths and the yard surfacing in the courtyard at the rear of the building. The findings at the Sansome Walk frontage add to the knowledge about the historic urban suburbs. As the site had been demolished within living memory, the outreach project will also provide useful oral histories and community engagement with the local residents. The area in the east of the Site revealed that the ground had been heavily truncated in the modern period by the use as an allotment and later levelling for the current car park. Residual Roman tap smelting slag was present throughout many of the modern features, which included footings for boundary walls, paths, fence lines and modern refuse pits. One pit in the less disturbed area in the south-west of the car park contained a large amount of Roman tap slag and fired clay, thought to be furnace furniture and is considered to be of Roman date. This was similar to those found in the earlier evaluation in the west of the car park and the centre of the Site, but no further Roman features were revealed in this stage of investigations.
Jesse Wheeler (Wed,) studied this question.