Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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The chorographic situation of the area of investigation determined the local topography of both sites, which consisted of ground sloping from east to west from the ridge of Fishergate (c.13.20m AOD) towards the confluent rivers (c.10.90m AOD). Most areas of the site had been subject to truncation, mostly modern, although the general contours of the site are thought to be largely natural. Significant alteration is represented only in the height of the land close to the rivers, probably exaggerated by post-medieval and later land reclamation against the river flood line. These general observations were confirmed by deposit modelling based on excavation and borehole survey data. The low ground of the site appears to broaden close to the river, a characteristic created partly by the cutting in of the slope of the modern route of Blue Bridge Lane, the purpose of which is to gain access to the river. Nonetheless, the natural contours of the site appeared to boast a shallow bowl and a feature exploited evidently from early prehistory. The natural subsoil of the site consisted of a layer of weathered boulder clay overlying convoluted gravel, clay and sand deposits, which characterise the route of the moraine as it passes through the city.
No features of prehistoric date were encountered during excavation, although an assemblage of lithic material was recovered from later features and soils. The earliest material included two flints of potentially Mesolithic or early Neolithic form, a well-patinated asymmetrical scraper and the proximal end of a narrow blade (Appendix A). Bronze Age material was also present in the form of a triangular point with bifacial working, which may belong to a projectile or piercing tool, as well as a robust thumbnail scraper. Several pieces of debitage, a fragment of core and the reworking of old flints was also identified during assessment. Overall, the assemblage is indicative of the manufacture, curation and disposal of tools used for skin processing and hunting. While not particularly large, the assemblage of lithic tools and waste demonstrates the presence of prehistoric activity, not only on the glacial moraine, which is known to have been a route exploited in prehistory, but also of transient occupation on the Ouse/Foss terrace.
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