A CELLAR SURVEY OF THE EARLY CORE OF NEWCASTLE (BIGG MARKET)
External Partner: English Heritage, Newcastle
The construction of cellars can cause enormous damage to archaeological deposits in city centres. Cellar surveys (which map the presence/absence of cellars in buildings) are thus a very important tool for conservation archaeology. The aim of this project would be to create a cellar survey for the Bigg Market, at the heart of the historic centre of Newcastle. It would involve the student working closely with the city archaeologists to map out the distribution of properties with known cellars. Cartographic and other records would form the basis of this work. The end product, which would include data on the known depths of cellars, would help to inform archaeological responses to planning applications within the city.
Initial street observation of the pavement areas outside of buildings can give an indication of the presence of cellars in some structures e.g. presence of manhole/cellar covers, cellar lights (small windows either in the footpath itself or low on the wall of the building almost at footpath level). Whilst this kind of observation can give insights into potential presence/ absence of cellarage, it gives no indication of cellar area or depth.
The local Historic Environment Record would also be an important information source for this work. The HER contains information on evaluations and archaeological assessments undertaken on buildings in the city, prior to their redevelopment. As a result, data exists in the form of ‘mini cellar surveys’ for locations such as Whitehart Yard but not for adjacent areas such as George’s Yard. Another important data source is the series of nineteenth century Building Control Plans now lodged at the Discovery Museum.
Direct contact with the current building owners/tenants would also help to develop knowledge of the presence /absence of cellars and might result in the student gaining first hand access to some sites. This might be carried out by way of a questionnaire survey where the student dropped the questionnaire off at the building and went back to collect it in person some days later
The dissertation would extend the usefulness of the city’s archaeological deposit model (i.e. where the best chances are of prehistoric/Roman/Medieval material being preserved within the city). It would also develop library and county/city record office research skills, cartographic interpretation and retrogressive map analysis.
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