Bristol's Harbourside

BRISTOL'S HARBOURSIDE

Archaeological Work, Past and Present

Cotswold Archaeology excavated three trial trenches in 2003. These were required by the City Council to establish whether any further archaeological works or preservation of any significant remains would be appropriate prior to further development. The trial trenches revealed remains of the lane leading from Lower College Green to Canon’s Marsh, and the line of Anchor Lane, along with a culverted stream running approximately east/west across the site. At the same time, walls were uncovered that are likely to have formed parts of the medieval buildings and gardens around the southern side of the Outer Court of the Abbey and along the lane that linked it to Canon’s Marsh. Remains of the GWR railway yards, built in the early 1900s were also uncovered.

Current Excavations

The current excavations are to look in more detail at the development and use of the buildings, watercourses, lanes and other features of the Abbey’s Outer Court which were first identified during trial trenching. Cotswold Archaeology is also investigating the nature and form of the Abbey's water management system and how important it was to the Abbey, as well as the relationship between the Abbey's Outer Court and the wet landscape of Canon’s Marsh. Previous monastic site investigations have been confined to the cloister buildings, but this redevelopment provides an opportunity to study beyond the main buildings, placing the Abbey in a wider context. Such an expanded study may contribute further information on the Abbey’s economy, the local butchery techniques, and the diet and medicinal practices of the Abbey’s inhabitants. Cotswold Archaeology is also hoping to investigate whether, and to what degree, the Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538 affected the Abbey buildings, its economy, and the lives of the people living and working in its grounds.

Results So Far

Excavations began in April, and have so far uncovered several structures of post-medieval date.These include part of the remains of the rope walk to the north of the Rope Manufactory which operated from at least the 1700s until the early 1900s. The factory started out outside as a tree-lined rope walk, but by the middle of the 1800s a substantial building, at least 300m long, had been built to the south, to house the rope making equipment. A D-shaped, stone-built structure has also been found, attached to the southern boundary wall of the rope walk. This is shown on an Ordnance Survey map from 1884 and, although its purpose was not recorded, it is likely that it provided a viewing platform from which to observe the formal gardens to the south whilst promenading along the rope walk.

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