Durranhill Flood Alleviation Scheme, Carlisle, Cumbria- Archaeological Watching Brief

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North), commissioned by Jacobs Babtie on behalf of the Environment Agency, during groundworks for a flood alleviation scheme at Durranhill, Carlisle, Cumbria (NGR NY 424 557). The groundworks involved the excavation of five trial pits, six window samples and four boreholes at two sites; the main Durranhill Beck site to the north alongside Eastern Way, and the southern Keenan Park playing fields site. The watching brief was required due to the scheme’s close proximity to the historical town of Carlisle, and was carried out between 2nd and 5th October 2006.

Made ground was encountered over much of the Durranhill Beck site at a depth of approximately 2m below the ground surface. This appeared to consist of mainly industrial residue of ash and clinker, with few finds recovered. The made ground deposits were on average 3m in thickness and it has been suggested that it resulted from the infilling of a borrow pit for a nearby tile factory (Jacobs Babtie pers comm). At the Keenan Park playing fields site no archaeological finds or features were encountered.