Broad Quay

BROAD QUAY, BRISTOL

June - September 2006

The site is located in between Marsh Street and Broad Quay and was first investigated in January to March 2001 when it was still largely covered by derelict standing buildings. This work established a sequence of occupation from the late 13th to the 20th century across the site. The earliest deposits encountered included natural alluvial clays of the River Frome, overlain in places by accumulated marsh deposits as well as a possible former channel associated with the Frome, which contained waterlogged deposits including preserved leather and wooden artefacts.

Following the diversion of the Frome in the mid-13th century, widespread dumping of clay occurred across the site to reclaim the marsh for settlement. Medieval structures and deposits from the late 13th to early 14th centuries were recorded over this clay. A stone-built structure interpreted as the remains of a slipway leading to the Frome was also recorded, associated with the complex remains of medieval structures including the north wall of 16 Marsh Street which stood to more than 7.5m height until 2006. The greater part of the south wall of this property was probably constructed in the 1620s, after the slipway had gone out of use.

Four extra trenches were excavated in summer 2006 following the demolition of many of the site's buildings. Two of these trenches established the presence of the 'Marsh Wall', part of the former medieval town wall of Bristol built in the late 13th century along the Broad Quay street front, as well as the presence of seasonal occupation of the area to the east of this wall.

The north eastern quarter of the site was excavated between August and September 2006. These excavations exposed post medieval floor surfaces and re deposited soil layers that covered the central third of the site. These deposits sealed the walls of a medieval building set square to Marsh Street. This building overlay a stone-lined well that dated from the late 13th to early 14 century. The northern third of the area had been affected by modern cellar construction which had removed any earlier deposits, although segments of medieval walling had survived below the cellar floor. Below the medieval building was a general area of re deposited clay. When removed, this clay was found to seal former marsh deposits. A number of small pits had been dug into these marsh deposits, each containing a substantial worked timber. The function these timbers performed is currently unclear but they were found in association with pottery dating from the late 12th to early 13th centuries.

The excavations also exposed a rubble-filled Victorian stone and brick-lined cellar with the remains of a former brick vaulted ceiling. Excavations below the cellar floor exposed a number of re deposited soil and rubble layers that overlay an in-filled channel, possibly associated with the former River Frome. Silt was excavated from this channel which was found to be aligned north - south and to measure at least 2.5m in width and at least 1.6m in depth, although its full width and depth could not be established. This channel contained items of worked wood and leather, along with large amounts of medieval pottery and appears to have silted up by the 14th century.

Section through the former river channel: Area 3