Oxford Ashmolean Forecourt

The Oxford Archaeologiocal Unit undertook a field evaluation in the forecourt of the Ashmolean Museum in February 1994. A N-S 5 x 2 m trench in the centre of the eastern lawn was machine excavated to a depth of 2 metres below the present ground surface. At this depth a wall aligned
E-W and a series of three post-medieval and two late medieval pits cutting the natural gravel were encountered. The wall may be a remnant of the tenements demolished in 1839 for the construction of the University
Galleries, and the pits are evidence for use of the rear yards of properties as refuse areas.