16 St Giles’s, Oxford. Watching Brief Report

Between September 2019 and April 2020 Oxford Archaeology (OA) was
commissioned by Gray, Baynes and Shew to undertake a watching brief at 16
St Giles’s, Oxford. The works involved the archaeological monitoring of the
refit/repair of timber and stone flooring within the basement and the
excavation for a lift-pit to the rear of the property.
The watching brief recorded a medieval domestic refuse pit during excavation
for the lift-pit to the rear of the property. Medieval refuse pits were typically
located within the back gardens of tenements, and as such, provides evidence
for the urban development of St Giles’s. An ash and cinder deposit, possibly
representing the remains of an earlier floor, was recorded within the
basement, although only survived in small patches and did not produce any
finds.