Area A3, Castleward Phase 2, Derby - Post-excavation Assessment

Wessex Archaeology

The work exposed the remnants of terraced housing comprising foundations, floor surfaces and other structural remains. To the rear of the houses, yard surfaces, outside toilets, drains and garden/property boundary walls were recorded. The housing was built, seemingly as three separate blocks, in the mid-19th century and was demolished in the early 1970s. Following demolition the local roads were widened, impinging on the footprints of the former buildings.

Overall the arrangement of the exposed remains matches the layout of the Site as portrayed on historic maps and photographs.

The earliest archaeological deposit seen on the site was mid-19th-century levelling material, which generally comprised a dirty yellowish brown sandy clay with fragments of brick/tile, typically 0.3– 0.4 m thick. This likely represents redeposited natural, either imported to the Site, or arisings from the reduction of high ground within the Site itself. Asbestos contamination prevented the investigation of the south-western quarter of the site.

The finds assemblage largely represents mid/late 20th-century material and was largely recovered from demolition rubble. No environmental samples were collected.