Former Marton Street Depot,Marton Street, Lancaster. Archaeological Evaluation.

Persimmon Homes (Lancashire) Ltd have proposed a residential development on the site of the former Marton Street Depot, Lancaster, Lancashire (SD 4790 6139). The site lies on the southern fringe of the historic core of Lancaster, close to known Roman and medieval remains and, as such, lies within an area of archaeological potential. Consequently, Lancashire County Council Archaeology Service recommended that the site was subjected to an archaeological evaluation in advance of development. This comprised the excavation of a series of trial trenches, which was undertaken by OA North in January 2005.
Nine trenches were excavated across the site, with archaeological stratigraphy being encountered at a maximum depth of 2.70m. Most of the deposits and structures
revealed dated to the nineteenth century. There were significant amounts of dumped material across the site of this date, including both redeposited natural soils and
building rubble, which had similarly been used to construct terraces across the area.
This was probably associated with the expanse of building work being carried out in Lancaster during the period, especially the construction of the Lancaster Canal during
the 1790s. Structures built in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were also recorded, and a significant quantity of post-medieval artefacts was recovered.