Archaeological Evaluation Report: Jessamine Cottage, St Michael's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire

In September 2022, KDK Archaeology Ltd undertook an Archaeological Evaluation at Jessamine Cottage, St Michael's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire. Two test pits were hand excavated abutting the flint wall running along the junction of Bluehouse Hill and St Michael's Street, and were required prior to the installation of buttresses to repair the wall. The pits were 1.2m long by 1m wide and were between 0.35m and 0.37m deep. In September 2022, KDK Archaeology Ltd undertook an Archaeological Evaluation at Jessamine Cottage, St Michael's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire. Two test pits were hand excavated abutting the flint wall running along the junction of Bluehouse Hill and St Michael's Street, and were required prior to the installation of buttresses to repair the wall. The pits were 1.2m long by 1m wide and were between 0.35m and 0.37m deep. Each pit contained a possible archaeological feature that could not be investigated further as they were truncated by a live electrical cable. A large number of finds were recovered including pottery ranging in date from the Iron Age through to the 2nd century AD, ceramic building material, oyster shell, animal bone and metal objects including an iron nail and copper coin, likely Roman in origin. All finds came from an unsecure context that also contained modern material and appears to have been deposited in order to provide a base for the modern footpath. In spite of this, the finds likely originate from somewhere in the immediate vicinity and demonstrate the density of occupation nearby. Further investigation would be required to better understand the nature and survival of any archaeological features on the site.