| Abstract: |
A total of four test pits (1, 3, 6 and 7) were excavated within the north‐south Annexmeasuring approximately 0.75m long and 0.55m wide and hand excavated to between 1mand 1.20m below ground level (bgl).Concrete flooring was removed by GeoCon using 0.30m coring drills. Once this wasremoved the test pits were hand excavated with subsequent hand auguring (AH) from thebase of the test pit to either maximum manageable depths (dependent on ceiling height or other obstruction) or until natural gravels were encountered. Of these, Test Pits 1 and 4 were located against the Annex walls to assess the nature and extent of the foundations. The remainder were located away from building walls to assess the nature of any survivingarchaeology.Test Pits 4 and 5 were located externally to the Annex. Test Pit 4, located in the alleybetween the Bodleian and the Annex, was hand excavated across the width of the alley to1.30m bgl. Test Pit 5 in the Fellows Garden, measuring 1m by 1m, was excavated by hand onto the first significant archaeological horizon at 0.40m bgl, with only the construction cut for the Annex being excavated. Oxford Archaeology (OA) was commissioned by Donald Insall Associates toundertake an archaeological watching brief at Exeter College Library henceforthknown as the ‘site’ and is centered on SP 5150 0639.The site contains the Exeter College Library, a Grade II* listed building, which wasbuilt by Gilbert Scott in the 19th century. The building is arranged in an L‐shape inplan, and is made up of a two storey range known as the Library, orientated eastwestwhich is joined on the northern elevation at its eastern end by a single storeyrange known as the Annex (orientated north‐south). The floor level in the Annex is0.71m below that of the Library.A total of six test pits located across the site were hand‐excavated to depths rangingbetween 1m to 1.30m below ground level). Test Pits 1, 3, 6 and 7 were located withinthe Annex, Test Pit 3 was located within the eastern extent of the Library. Test Pit 4was in the external alley between the Annex and the Bodleian’s Convocation Houseand Test pit 5 was located within the Rector’s garden along the west facing elevationof the Annex. Several test pits were also hand‐augured to retrieve information aboutdeposits below the limits of the hand‐excavations. Test Pit 2, located within theAnnex building against the eastern wall, had to be abandoned.Archaeology was encountered between 0.15m and 0.40m below ground level withinall excavated test pits. Terrace Gravel geology was only encountered in one augerhole in Test Pit 6 at 61.84mOD. Although the loess deposits, usually encounteredimmediately overlying the natural gravels on the Oxford promontory, were notobserved in this location the gravels did not appear to be truncated, except bygeneral digging over of the ground, and therefore probably indicates the level ofsuch deposits across the site. In other test pits archaeological deposits wereobserved within hand‐auger holes to extend below this level, and this is thought toindicate the presence of ‘cut features’ of archaeological origin, such as pits (probablymedieval or potentially Post‐medieval).The gravels were overlain by homogenous deposits of humic garden soils, and suchdeposits were observed in all test pits, bar Test Pit 7 where fills were observedinstead. Some yielded medieval dating evidence and recorded an upper horizon of63.28mOD within the footprint of the current buildings, 63.60mOD in the Rector’sgarden, and 63.35mOD in the external alley between the Annex and ConvocationHouse. In some test pits these were overlain by post‐medieval garden soils.The medieval archaeology encountered consisted of possible fills of cut features inTest Pits 3 and 7 and garden soils. |
