This week's trainees and some of the excavation staff, with York Archaeological Trust Director Peter Addyman (right).

The sunny weather has meant that digging has continued uninterrupted for yet another week (although some evening rain to dampen the site would be very welcome!). Around fifty Friends of York Archaeological Trust paid a second evening visit to the excavation, to keep up with developments.

Trench 1

The main discovery in Trench 1 has been the north-west wall of one of the Roman legionary fortress interval towers. Known as SW6 because it is the sixth tower along the south-west side of the fortress, the wall was left upstanding within the cobble foundations of a wall belonging to the medieval hospital, apparently in order to form part of the medieval foundations. Excavation over the next few weeks will reveal whether this tower was occupied from Roman through to medieval times.

The medieval drain (see Week 6) has now been examined by staff from the Environmental Archaeology Unit at the University of York. It is possible that the silt in the drain resulted from its use during the medieval period, when it presumably flushed water and sewage out of the hospital. This photograph was taken by one of the trainees, Brian Henry from Liverpool.

Trench 2 In Trench 2, further evidence of the Victorian archaeological excavations has been found; these had exposed much of the infirmary wall and drain in this area. The infill of the Victorian trenches contained many sheep lower leg bones, which could have been derived from a tannery nearby.

Trench 3

	In Trench 3 most of the Victorian garden has now been removed. An interesting find from behind the garden wall was a medallion celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. It seems likely that landscaping of the garden to display the archaeological features took place as part of these celebrations. Perhaps the medallion was deliberately buried to show that the garden had been created for the Golden Jubilee.
	Several fragments of medieval glazed floor tiles were found in Trench 3. Some had a plain glazed surface, but others were decorated. Although they were found in more recent contexts, it suggests that the medieval infirmary undercroft may have been floored with glazed tiles. Perhaps part of this floor lies undisturbed beneath the post-medieval layers that are currently being excavated.