Introduction
We were invited to evaluate the geoarchaeology of a site at the Priory Hospital, Heath House Lane, on the outskirts of Bristol, to help the excavating archaeologists, both in understanding the origins of the deposits and in assessing the archaeological potential of the site.
Background
The bedrock of the area was known to be Lower Lias of the lower Jurassic and Upper Triassic clays and Keuper Marl, and we found the soils to be typical argillic pelosols, which are permeable reddish clayey soils. The site lay on an area of land that slopes gently towards the south, It is this gentle slope together with the slow drainage of the underlying clays that helps keep the soils wet. At the time of our visit, the site was at the edge of a carpark, but had been built upon before.
A small trench was dug to one side of the carpark, where we could examine deposits in the side and take a sample for later analysis.
Findings
When we examined the sample we found a light brown sandy clay at the base of the sample, above this a red sand, and above this sand a mixed and variable medium dark brown loamy soil. Each deposit had a clear to gradual boundary between them.
Conclusions
From our investigations we were able to tell the excavating archaeologists, that the lower deposits were natural, probably colluvial, and originally from a nearby hillside. The clear boundaries between this lower deposit and the upper ones, show that the upper part of the natural deposits had been removed sometime in the past due to landscaping, and the upper deposits were not all natural and had in part been dumped. This told us that any archaeology that remained and had not been destroyed, would have been severely disturbed and any further investigations was unlikely to tell us anymore.
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