Jamaica Road
Jan 16, 2008 by Chaz Morse
This new-build four storey apartment block will be located opposite the entrance to St. Saviours Dock on the River Thames. In the 18th & 19th centuries this part of the Borough of Southwark was important for tanners and spice merchants. Currently it is designated an Area of Archaeological Importance, as three nearby sites have revealed rare, nationally important remains of Bronze Age agriculture.
Due to the potential of the archaeology the local authority required a large evaluation at 8.5% of the site, to include an extensive programme of archaeo-environmental sampling, devised to the exacting specification of the English Heritage Regional Archaeological Science Advisor.
The depth of made ground on the site and the restricted site area meant that sheet piling had to be used to shore the trench sides as the evaluation progressed. L – P : Archaeology’s experience of excavating in similar difficult urban conditions allowed this complex technical solution to be successfully utilised here.
The results of the evaluation proved that, unlike the neighbouring sites this particular area did not contain archaeological remains; probably because it was off the edge of the island (eyot) that had been inhabited during the Bronze Age. No further excavation work was necessary and the archaeological planning condition was formally discharged.
This project was an excellent example of best practice on a commercial development with potentially intricate and delicate archaeological remains. L – P provided the client, Spice Designs, with a comprehensive budget and time scheme up front, streamlining the earliest stages of the investigation by the cost effective use of geotechnical boreholes for initial sampling.
| Client: | Spice Design Consultants Ltd |
| Site: | Jamaica Road, Tower Hill |
| Development type: | Residential |