Bagijnenwalstraat-Lindeboom and Bastion II (2008, 2011, 2012, 2019 and 2020)

In September 2019 and June 2020, Hollandia archaeologists BV commissioned by Van Wijnen BV an archaeological excavation carried out at the Bagijnenwalstraat-Lindeboom. 

New construction was built on a vacant lot, which jeopardized the archaeological values ​​from the late Middle Ages and modern times that were present in the soil. Because protection of the archaeological site in situ was not possible everywhere, part of it was preserved by means of an excavation. In total, approximately 850 m² was investigated in a flat-covering manner.

Students from OBS “De Tweemaster” receive history lessons about their city.

The archaeological remains found date from the 13th^de century. The first indications of human activity were pits dug in natural river basin deposits, from 1,1 m -NAP. A fragment of pottery from the period 1250 - 1450 was found in one of the pits. The site was excavated in the late 13^de, beginning of the 14^de century and a 1,3 m thick grey clay layer was applied locally to the south of the Bagijnenwalstraat. The clay layer, which was under the 14^de century city wall, there was possibly an earthen rampart that surrounded the city before that. However, more research into the presence of this package under the city wall is desirable. The city wall in this part of Gorinchem was constructed in three phases. Initially, a wall tower was built. This was followed by the southwestern shield wall and the northeastern shield wall.

Monastery

As can be seen from historical sources, in the 15^de century a monastery complex-bagijnhof on the Haarstraat. Several buildings belonging to this monastery complex were found within the research area. In total, the remains of three buildings were found. The separate rooms of two buildings were still preserved. The buildings enclosed a courtyard with a water well. A fourth structure in the courtyard could not be further defined.

Overview of the excavation site with the remains of the kitchens and the foundation of the Bagijnenmolen.

In the 15th century, people lived at the Bagijnhof^de in 16^de century the sisters St. Nicholas and St. Mary Magdalene. The Mary Magdalene sisters were incarcerated sisters. The sisters Nicholas were probably meant as Bagijnen.

Around 1575, as a result of the Reformation, the monastery buildings were demolished. In 1584, construction of a new defence system around Gorinchem also began. Outside the late medieval city walls, the city moat was partially filled in and the former monastery grounds were raised. A production site for wool and later leather was built on the available land outside the city walls. A post mill (1575) and a house (1617) were built over the remains of the monastery buildings. The plot next to the house, the former monastery courtyard, was used as a cemetery until 1827. The upper bodies of probably two adult men were still buried in this cemetery.

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Finds

The find material consists of: ceramics, glass, pipe clay, ceramic building material, natural stone, leather objects, metal objects and animal bone material. The majority was found during the construction of the work pits, in brought-up soil. This open context makes it difficult to make statements about the material culture of the residents at the time. However, large examples of the discarded household goods may have come from the site itself. This applies in particular to the building material and the animal waste at the tannery. The finds fit into an urban context.

Conservation

The exceptionally well-preserved site made the client want to preserve it within the project boundaries. The pile plan was adjusted so that the wall tower and city wall were spared. The monastery buildings and other structures lie deep enough to be preserved under the new houses

Prior to the last phase of the archaeological research: the excavation, preliminary research had already been carried out since 2008. Due to the economic crisis in 2012, the redevelopment of the area was halted after the demolition of the old buildings. It was not until seven years later that the thread was picked up again and Hollandia Archaeologists a trial trench survey in May 2019.

Trial trench investigation of late medieval city wall.

By digging four long trenches over the terrain it became clear which archaeological remains were still present in the subsoil and what their quality was. For example, the remains of various buildings, a quay wall and a part of the late medieval city wall were found. With the exception of the places where the former houses had stood, everything appeared to be well preserved under a rubble-containing soil layer of approximately 0,5 m thick.

Detail map by Jacob van Deventer (1558) showing the medieval fortress wall and the Bagijnentoren

City wall

First, the city wall was mapped in collaboration with a building historian. The foundation of the Bagijnentoren was also cut into. The city wall consisted of a series of to poke with a mutual distance of approx. 2,8 m (center measurement) on which the savings arches resistance rested. The foundation of the shield wall (the protective wall) was approximately 0,9 m wide (three bricks wide). The width of the rising work has not been determined precisely, but could have been approximately 0,75 m wide, just like the tower. The bricks used had, just like the tower, a size of 29,5÷30÷30,5 x 14/14,5 x 7 cm and a 5-layer size of 38,5 cm.

Reconstruction of the city wall Bagijnenwalstraat

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Only the back of the tower was preserved. The front was completely demolished. This probably took place in the late 16^e century, when the new fortress around Gorinchem was constructed. During the excavation, a local raised package was found. However, it is not certain whether this was done before the construction of the city wall or whether there was a rampart phase prior to the petrification.

Bastion II

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Found masonry in the backyard, on the southeastern side of Bagijnenwalstraat.

On November 12, 2012, Hollandia archaeologists commissioned by housing association Gate6 the first phase of the demolition work at Bastion II in Gorinchem archaeologically supervised. This phase of the archaeological supervision was carried out following the removal of the foundations of already demolished houses present in the subsoil. The aim of the archaeological supervision was to prevent damage to any archaeological values.

It was also examined whether the location of planned test trenches could be changed on the basis of any insights obtained. At the height of the already demolished buildings, no archaeological remains had been found by removing the foundations. However, when digging a viewing hole in the backyard, archaeological remains were found directly below ground level. These were masonry, consisting of red and yellow bricks.

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One of the planned test trenches was located a few meters east of this structure. It was therefore recommended to move it to the west so that it would lie over the structure that was found. When the results were extrapolated, it could be stated that at the level of the already demolished buildings, the subsoil between and directly under the foundations had been dug up. Only very deeply dug traces such as cesspools and water wells could have been partially preserved. At the level of the backyards, archaeological remains could be located directly under the ground level. It was therefore decided to leave the backyards untouched until the follow-up valuation study (carried out in 2019)

Detail map of Gorinchem by Joan Blaeu (1649) with Bastion II

At the end of October 2008, Synthegra Archeology commissioned by BK construction & environmental advice an inventory field study carried out for the plan area Bastion II in Gorinchem, the so-called Bagijnendriehoek. This research consisted of an exploratory drilling survey. The reason for the research was the proposed redevelopment of the plan area. 

Conclusions of drilling research

Within the plan area, the soil was disturbed during the construction of the existing residential buildings to a depth varying from 1,5 to 2,0 m below sea level. At the location of the houses on Nieuwe Walsteeg, piles are present to a depth of approximately 15 m below sea level. These piles have only resulted in limited disturbance of the soil archive, which means that undisturbed archaeological values ​​may still be present here.

A 0,5 – 1,0 m thick raised layer has been applied to the gardens belonging to the residential buildings on Lindeboom and Bagijnenwalstraat. The soil disturbances that took place for the construction of the sheds in these gardens do not extend deeper than the applied raised layer. No data is known about any soil disturbances or raised layers at the gardens belonging to the houses on Nieuwe Walsteeg.

Pest House in Gorkum, Jacobus Stellingwerf (1603)

Selection advice desk research 2011

If future soil interventions reach deeper than the recent soil disturbances or raising layer, then Econsultancy to further investigate the plan area by means of an IVO mapping and evaluation phase by means of test trenches (IVO-P). It is also recommended that the demolition of the underground parts of the current buildings be guided archaeologically.

The above advice constitutes a selection advice. Econsultancy would like to point out to the client that this selection advice does not mean that the soil-disturbing activities or preparatory activities can be undertaken. The results of this research must first be assessed by the competent authority (municipality of Gorinchem), which will then make a selection decision.

An attempt has been made to provide as well-founded advice as possible based on the research method used. The presence of archaeological traces or remains at smaller depths than the indicated recent disturbance depth can never be completely ruled out.

Bagijnenwalstraat, buildings before demolition in 2012