Bristol's HarboursideBRISTOL'S HARBOURSIDE
Archaeological Work, Past and Present
Cotswold Archaeology initially 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 development. The trial trenches revealed remains of a former 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. Walls were uncovered that are likely to have formed parts of medieval buildings and gardens around the southern side of the Outer Court of St Augustine's 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.
The 2007 Excavations
The 2007 excavations were designed 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 the 2003 trial trenching. Other aspects under investigation were 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 development 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, local butchery techniques, and the diet and medicinal practices of the Abbey’s inhabitants. 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 was another important question under consideration.
