Land off Queen Street, Lancaster Girls� Grammar School, Lancaster: Archaeological Investigation

In 2011, Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School proposed to construct an extension to the existing technology block on the east side of the school, adjacent to Queen Street, Lancaster (centred on NGR SD 47586 61429). To inform the planning application of the archaeological potential of the site the school commissioned Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to undertake a desk-based assessment. The potential to encounter Roman remains was identified, specifically evidence of the cemetery that was positioned outside of the vicus. More recently, however, cartographic sources showed that the proposed extension area was within open fields, but by the time of the mapping of 1824 part of the proposed extension site, to the north, had been developed for houses that remained until the 1960s. Subsequently, the site has been within the school gardens.
Planning permission was granted with one of the conditions being to undertake an archaeological investigation due to the potential identified. Following discussions between OA North and the Lancashire County Archaeology Service (LCAS), on behalf of the client, a programme of strip, map and record was agreed. The field work commenced in December 2011. The north-eastern part of the area to be developed was still in use as a concrete hardstanding for bin storage and a pond area, and so was omitted at the time of the strip, map and record exercise; it was investigated subsequently under a separate watching brief to monitor the groundworks for construction in February and March 2012.