Site Event/Activity record ECH7132 - Archaeological monitoring visit to no 59A Bridge Street Row

Site visit to barrel vaulted cellar of this location where owner had excavated beneath the brick floor. Access the cellar via a hatch in the floor of the current salon. Initially, a ladder is needed to access a small chamber from which some stone steps lead down to the north into the main barrel-vaulted cellar which is of brick construction and occupies the area underneath the eastern portion of Number 59. The barrel vault is aligned north-to-south and the vault is supported on brick walls which extend down to the floor level which, again, is of brick construction. The south end terminates in a further brick wall, as does the north wall which includes what appears to have been a fireplace and whilst there is no chimney, a small vent to the north may have served this purpose. The east wall contains a chute which leads to the surface in the small courtyard to the east whilst the west wall, in addition to the access steps, contains another blocked off chute. In the small access chamber referenced above, there appear to be more steps leading to an inaccessible area to the north. The owner has excavated beneath the brick floor and removed some strata which appear quite recent as they contain 19th-century material. He has also exposed a large sandstone block which pre-dates the cellar. Given its massive size it may be Roman and something to do with the fortress baths. An overlain plan of the fortress baths shows a structure which coincides with this area. This was the open air pool in the south-west corner of the baths. The stone could be one of the walls of this or, given that the plot is not wholly exact, it could be a column base associated with the inner colonnade. Photos taken