NHER 282 (Monument record) - Late Saxon to post medieval occupation, Nos 126 to 140 King Street

1975. Excavation by M. W. Atkin for the Norwich Survey.
11th-12th century: Material, no structures.
13th-14th century: A flint packed foundation trench along the street frontage. A single human burial (possibly an outlier of the cemetery of the Friary of Our Lady) was found at the rear of the site.
15th century: A period of disuse.
Late 15th century: The site was cleared and levelled down to natural. A building with an undercroft to the north was constructed.
Late 16th century: The building was divided into two cottages.
The wide range of imported pottery from the 15th-17th century suggests that the area was a wealthy one at that period.
The absence of Middle Saxon pottery suggests that Middle Saxon Conesford was not centred on St. Etheldreda's church.
Compiled M. Atkin.

Information from NAR records: Within area of Nos 134 and 136 King Street House of Friars de Domina located.
Compiled by M. Leah 25 February 1991.

See file for further details.

September 2008. Desk-based Assessment and Building Survey.
Architectural and historical appraisal of Nos 120-140 King Street.
At the time of this assessment the site (Plot A) was occupied by six standing buildings, none of which were deemed to be of any particular architectural or historical merit. The oldest incorporates the remains of two adjacent, potentially residential buildings erected against the west boundary wall in the 1870s. It is however noted that an outbuilding of this date incorporated a decayed timber sole plate of probable 17th-century date (and which must therefore relate to an earlier building we know nothing about). The western boundary wall probably also dates to the 1870s and is of flint with brick coping and brick piers at intervals.
A thorough review of the available cartographic sources and a certain amount of documentary research was undertaken as part of this appraisal. As noted above this was the location of the house of an extremely uncommon Carmelite order known as the Friars of the Blessed Mary or the Friars de Domina. Their house was established in 1253 and, according to Blomefield (writing in 1744), stood "…on the south side of [St Julian's] churchyard, and the east end abutted on the street" - i.e. King Street. Their land and buildings fell into private hands in the early 14th century, after the order had been suppressed. The site is known to have been subsequently occupied by the house of Sir William Boleyn and its associated gardens.
We know from the earliest maps that both sides of this section of King Street were largely built-up by the mid 16th century but we don't have evidence for exactly what buildings occupied this particular site. Cleer’s map of 1696 shows a continuous run of buildings and associated gardens between St Julian's Alley and what is now Music House Lane, but no development along the latter. Buildings are however shown along the north side of Music House Lane on Corbridge's 1727 map, and Hochstetter's map of 1796 shows new buildings behind the King Street frontage (within what had presumably previously been open gardens). By the late 19th century the block was almost completely developed. The buildings that fronted onto King Street at this time were gradually lost over the course of the 20th century. It appears that the most notable of these was a 'Tudor house' that stood on the south side of the junction with St Julian's Alley. The north side of this jettied building was photographed by George Plunket in 1938 (S8) but it was unfortunately destroyed by a bombing raid during World War Two. It is suggested that this may have incorporated part of Boleyn's House, although it should be noted that the Ordnance Survey First Edition 1:500 Town Plan map (published during the 1880s) places the site of this house in what was then open ground to the west, adjacent to the churchyard (at c. TG 2353 0811).
See unpublished report (S12) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2021.

June 2012. Trial Trenching.
Two evaluation trenches, placed to assess the potential for archaeological remains in the areas of two extant garages to the north and south of the site revealed archaeological deposits directly below the modern rubble make-up. The southern trench revealed an 11th to 12th century pit, and a small clay-lined pit of 13th to 14th century date. The northern trench revealed substantial footing trenches of a medieval building along with a sequence of floor surfaces, and two pits of possible early medieval date.
See unpublished report (S13) for details.
E. Bales (HES), 30 July 2012.