Sites

Situated close to the top of Buitenkant Street, the study area takes consists of a large open area behind a pair of shop fronts (no's 43 and 47 Buitenkant Street). The Harrington Street Church lies on a bordering erf. The shop fronts incorporate the fabric of early 19th century buildings that have been highly modified to the details of the construction sequence. Both Jake de Villiers and Trevor Thorold  have expressed the opinion that the structures have been altered to the extent that their significance is irrevocably compromised, and that demolition should be permitted. The buildings have been abandoned for some years and occupied intermittently by vagrants. The large yard behind the buildings used to contain various ad hoc structures and extensions to the rear of the standing structures. A row of garages remains along the North West side of the yard. It appears that in recent years standing structures in the yard were demolished to create parking space. Access to this is via an opening through the business front into Buitenkant Street. At time of commencement of the study the yard was covered with a concrete surface of variable thickness and condition.
An initial inspection of the study area revealed the presence of circular feature that could have been a well - these have been encountered on a number of occasions in the back yards of 18th and 19th century buildings. Wells are often repositories of archaeological material that accumulates in a sequential fashion over time. Such material, bein waterlogged and in an anaerobic environment is often very well preserved, and therefore of importance. A further concern was the stream channel, which according to archival information ran across the rear of the yard. This nature and extend needed to be explored and recorded before destruction by development activities. Furthermore, it too has the potential to act as an accumulator of sequences of artefactual material.  The approach used was to sink a pattern of trial excavations over the property. Some of these were strategically positioned to test specific features such as the backyard areas of buildings, possible wells and footings. Other trial holes were evenly spread across the property to test the depth and quality of subsurface deposits. Excavation was done according to the stratigraphic layering of the  various fills; however the sizes of the holes were adjusted in response conditions. Artefactual material was transported to UCT where it was washed and sorted, and presently stored.