Benwell Bank Substation, West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne: Archaeological Watching Brief Report

AOC Archaeology Group was commissioned to undertake a archaeological works at Benwell Bank substation, West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, prior to the relocation of the existing substation and to release the northern part of the site for redevelopment. The course of Hadrian's Wall is thought to run close to the northern boundary of the site. Phase 1 (55014) was an archaeological evaluation from the 23rd to 30th of April 2009, and consisted of the excavation of two trenches. Phase 2 (55062) was an archaeological watching brief which took place on and off from 13th September to 11th October 2010. The groundworks consisted of the foundation trench for the new substation (trench 3), and the service trenches along Coldstream Road and West Road (trench 4). No evidence of Hadrian's Wall was encountered during the evaluation but the northern-most portion of the site could not be evaluated due to site logistics. Phase 1 uncovered a ditch and a possible associated soil horizon were located on the northern-eastern part of the site. No other archaeological features were recorded. Evidence for earlier truncation of deposits on the western part of the site was observed. Phase 2 examined the ditch identified during the evaluation and determined it to be a late post-medieval features. Similarly, an area of disturbed ground recorded in the evaluation was also re-examined and interpreted as post-medieval ground disturbance. As in the evaluation, a shallow soil horizon was observed above the natural subsoil but was thought to represent the upper portion of the subsoil rather than a deposit re-worked by human agency, The only other additional features and deposits encountered were of modern origin.