Archaeological Watching Brief Report: 11 Steep Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Allen Archaeology Limited was commissioned by David Butler to conduct an archaeological watching brief on land at 11 Steep Hill in Lincoln, to satisfy a planning condition and seek consent for a single storey extension and alterations to an existing dwelling. Scheduled Monument Consents were sought and approved, reference S00168535 and S00198060. Monitoring was also provided for the remedial works of a retaining wall that had partially collapsed. There is no prehistoric evidence surrounding the site. The site lies within an area of the Scheduled Monument of Lindum Coloni, the historical Roman city of Lincoln. There is abundant evidence of roman activity across the city and around the site with an early roman building found on the site of 11A Steep Hill in 1984. The archaeological potential from this period within the site was regarded as high. There is little evidence of early medieval activity in the city but a surge of activity has been recorded from the mid-9th century onwards with a late Saxon timber building and pits recorded within the site boundaries, and as such a high archaeological potential for this period existed on site as well as for 11th century activity relating to the corn and poultry markets which may have extended into the site. Post-medieval activity is well represented in the area with over 70 Listed Buildings within 150m of the site and with extant structures from the 19th century on site. The watching brief recorded several post-medieval terracing deposits, likely to date to the 19th century and relate to the development of Chestnut House as well as later development between Steep Hill and Michael Gate. A truncated, limestone rubble wall was encountered north of the retaining wall, and could potentially be of medieval date or a 19th century garden feature. The development has had moderate impact upon the archaeological deposits and features of limited archaeological potential. Although some of the finds were Roman, the majority recovered from the surrounding and sealing terracing deposits are medieval in date and are typical to Lincoln, representing domestic waste either from the neighbouring properties, or found within material imported to site during terracing. The terrace deposits identified probably relate to landscaping of the area when the plot of land between Steep Hill and Michaelgate became more developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Previous work in the surrounding area established traces of medieval structures in both stone and timber, including a stone oven south of the retaining wall, and as such the possibility remains that the wall is medieval in date.