An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during water main renewal excavation at Tolbooth Lane. A narrow trench c.0.3m wide was excavated along the line of the existing pipeline in order to replace a section of pipe. Archaeological monitoring was carried out from 23rd January to 3rd February 2023 where a single trench and four trial pits were monitored along Tolbooth Ln, Wick. Excavation revealed a substantial wall face at the south end of Tolbooth Ln with evidence for possible stratified, possibly medieval or earlier, structural layers surviving in this area. The fieldwork showed that deep layers of archaeological material are likely to survive in some areas of the town centre in the vicinity of Tolbooth Ln.
Patrick Rowan (Sun,) studied this question.