TWM Archaeology

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by TWM Archaeology on behalf of Northumbrian Water Limited during the insertion of a new domestic sewer system at Railway Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The initial stage of works took place between December 2010 and January 2011 and comprised the excavation of seven trial pits to determine the location of services in the area. The excavations for the insertion of the sewer system and its accompanying manhole were then undertaken in January 2012.

The watching brief showed that in parts of the site, most notably Railway Street, modern service trench has caused disturbance of the underlying stratigraphy to a significant depth. However, in other areas of the site, archaeologically significant deposits survive.

Several archaeological features were observed cutting the natural clay subsoil including three sections of standing walls, two areas of cobbled surfaces, a stone culvert and a possible mortar floor. Historic mapping shows that these features all pre-date 1857 and are probably of early post-medieval to medieval date.