Bridgegate, Peebles, 1985-87

Abstract

It was hoped that the excavation would reveal information on the tolbooth of Peebles, which is supposed to have occupied various sites within the burgh, including the westernmost plot in the north side of Bridgegate. It was also possible that the Bridgegate site might reveal part of the 16th-century town wall and, perhaps, the remains of the barmkin defence of the Bridgegate Port. The excavation was successful in confirming the site of the tollbooth. No trace of the town wall, which on documentary grounds is thought to run along Cuddyside, was revealed, nor any of the predecessors to these defences, the Bridgegate Port and its barmkin. The other important aspect of the site was the opportunity to examine three properties on a main thoroughfare of the royal burgh, especially the opportunity to examine a street frontage, which had not been disturbed by cellars. It is the location of substantial stone-built medieval houses (Buildings 1-5) which makes this excavation of particular value in our understanding of medieval urban landscapes.