Watching Brief at Ivy Lodge & The Warehouse, Upper Bristol Road, Bath

Archaeological monitoring project related to piling operations for a residential development. Avon Archaeology Limited were retained by Ivy Developments Limited, to undertake an archaeological monitoring project (watching brief), during groundworks related to establishing a pile mat for piling operations at a proposed new residential development at Upper Bristol Road, Bath. The site had formerly been occupied by buildings known as Ivy Cottage and The Warehouse, both of which had been demolished prior to the start of the monitoring project. The groundworks consisted essentially of ground reduction in the northern half of the site, gradually reducing in depth to the south, towards the River Avon, to take account of the gentle downward gradient in that direction. Roughly the southern half of the site required no reduction works, and indeed the very southern area will probably require a degree of raising by dumping and levelling. Over that part of the northern area which was monitored, the result was entirely negative, revealing only various episodes of dumping and made up ground. Clear tip-lines coming in from the street-facing side of the site (ie the north) were seen in the deeper sections. Of peripheral interest was what had probably been a pit containing a dump of oyster shells, but it was undated, and its full extent was not seen. This being so, we do not consider that further mitigation on this site, on any level, is necessary.