St Paul's Square, Liverpool- Watching Brief

As part of the Liverpool New Central Business District, English Cities Fund are redeveloping an area of land at St Paul’s Square, Liverpool (SJ 3390 9066) (Fig 1). Following a desk-based assessment by John Samuels Archaeological Consultants (JSAC 2001), Merseyside Archaeological Service (MAS) decided that the site lay within an area of archaeological interest and, to further inform the planning process, requested that a programme of archaeological investigation be undertaken at the site. Accordingly, JSAC issued a specification for an evaluation and a watching brief. Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) undertook the evaluation in May 2005, revealing parts of the foundations of the demolished eighteenth century St Paul’s church (OA North 2005). A fuller historical background to the site can be found in that document.
In November 2005 OA North were commissioned by JSAC to undertake an intermittent archaeological watching brief to the west of the evaluation area, within an area (Area A) known to have been occupied by nineteenth century buildings and cellars. The aim of the watching brief was to identify and record any islands of archaeology between the cellars, surviving under yards, lanes and alleyways; this report briefly outlines the results. Unmonitored groundworks were also undertaken in Area B, to the south of Area A.