An Arcaeolgical Watching Brief at the Former Dry Sand Foundry, Holbeck, Leeds

ARCUS were commissioned by Quarmby Construction Company Ltd to monitor the excavation of geotechnical trial pits at the Dry Sand Foundry, Holbeck, Leeds in October 2005. The trial pits were excavated for geotechnical investigations in order to establish the nature of the subsurface deposits. The archaeological watching brief was required as a condition of planning permission, in line with PPG16. The trial pits revealed the nature of the foundations of the former dry sand building, and exposed surface deposits within the footprint of the building. These latter comprised a mixture of deposits, including rubble levelling layers, flag floors and casting sands. The deposits were mixed, and showed evidence for disturbance and re-deposition during the use of the building.