Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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Eleven fragments of wall plaster were recovered from the Blue Bridge Lane site. All of these come from one feature (F219) and, seem to have the same composition of plaster with a limewash and some decorative elements. Of the eleven recovered elements, nine display evidence for decoration beyond the basic limewash, and seem to be part of a single decorative scheme.
Composition
The remains of the plaster are, of course, fragmentary and none have remained attached to stone surfaces, however the composition is relatively easy to discern consisting mainly of a layer of plaster render, varying in thickness from 10-20mm thick. On two pieces (Find numbers 6301 and 6303) two layers of lime plaster are visible. The lower layer consists of lime with sand and charcoal inclusions, the second layer has a higher lime content and finer sand inclusions. It is likely that all the fragments recovered have this composition, with the poorer condition of the other fragment edges making the layers less discernable. All of these fragments then have thin layers of limewash applied, although again variations in condition make some fragments more visible than others. Most have further elements of decoration painted over the limewash with a red ochre pigment.
Decoration
All the fragments recovered with decorative elements still surviving were part of one, relatively plain decorative scheme. Most of the surviving evidence consists of fragments of straight lines, all using the same red ochre colour. One fragment (part of Find no 4337) shows two of these lines intersecting at right angles (Plate 21). These fragments suggest a regular pattern, one of the most common in the medieval period being to imitate the lines of ashlar masonry to suggest a better quality of building material.
Plate 21
Fragments of such a scheme were also found during excavation of the claustral range (Park and Stewart 1996, 305). The more substantial evidence from this dig, showed a masonry pattern consisting of a series of double and single lines, with some scrollwork included around the stone lines. There is no evidence of additional decorative features or double lines on the eleven fragments from Blue Bridge Lane. It is possible that this is because the fragments are from a separate decorative scheme, possibly of an earlier date, which used only single lines. However, with this quantity of fragments it is also possible that the evidence of the double lines and scroll work has not survived.
Despite the small number of wall plaster fragments recovered from Blue Bridge Lane, there is enough evidence to ascertain that all of the decorated fragments come from the same decorative scheme and, to a certain extent, the type of decorative scheme they were part of. The pieces were all found in one feature (F219B) and were included in the feature backfill of the 15th century. By this time the fragments had clearly been discarded and this date does not help us ascertain which period they may date from. If they correspond with the decorative scheme identified on the site by Parker and Stewart (1996, 302-3) then they could have the same date of c.1200.
Find no 4332, F219, C1270. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand. Front face has a layer of limewash with a line of red ochre 6mm thick applied on top of the limewash. Dimensions 22mm x 38mm x 8mm
Find no 4334, F219, C1427. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges, roughly triangular in shape. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand and charcoal. Front face has a layer of limewash with a line of red ochre 6mm wide applied on top of the limewash. Dimensions 20mm x 20mm x 15mm
Find no 4335, F219, C1428. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand. Front face has a layer of limewash with part of a line of red ochre 4mm wide on top of the limewash and at one edge of the fragment. Dimensions 18mm x 20mm x 10mm
Find no 4336, F219, C1430. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand. Much of the front face of the fragment has broken off but where surviving there is a layer of limewash with a red ochre line 7mm wide on top of the limewash. Dimensions 55mm x 50mm x 15mm
Find no 4337, F219, C1485. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand and charcoal. The front face is worn but has some traces of limewash. Red ochre line 6mm wide with a small section of another line intersecting at right angles which is also 6mm wide. Dimensions 53mm x 31mm x 22mm
Find no 6298, F219, C1270. Small fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand. Front face is damaged but has the remains of a red ochre line approx. 6mm wide. Dimensions 13mm x 8mm x 7mm
Find no 6299, F219, C1270. Small fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with sand and charcoal inclusions. Front face is damaged but has red ochre covering part of the surface. Dimensions 20mm x 13mm x 7mm
Find no 6300, F219, C1430. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand and charcoal. The front face has been damaged or worn but there are traces of limewash and a red ochre line 6mm wide. Dimensions 55mm x 55mm x 20mm
Find no 6301, F219, C1485. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Two layers of lime plaster, the lower with inclusions of sand and charcoal, the upper layer is finer with a higher lime proportion with some grains of a finer sand and some charcoal included. The upper face is covered with limewash. Dimensions 46mm x 32mm x 13mm
Find no 6302, F219, C1485. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Lime plaster with inclusions of sand. Most of the front face is covered by a red ochre line 7mm wide. Dimensions 12mm x 8mm x 7mm
Find no 6303, F219, C1485. Fragment of wall plaster with broken edges. Two layers of lime plaster, the lower with inclusions of sand and charcoal, the upper layer is finer with a higher lime proportion with some grains of a finer sand. The front face has some traces of limewash with a red ochre line 6mm wide against one edge of the fragment. Dimensions 35mm x 19mm x 10mm
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