NHER 33519 (Monument record) - Medieval and post medieval structures, Stonegate Street

March 1998. Trial Trench.
Evaluation of former garage site (Trench 3):
The earliest deposit on this site was a light grey silt layer. Laid directly over this was a substantial timber running north-south, 0.13m wide and 0.17m deep and extending beyond the edges of the slot in both directions. Along the upper east side was a rebate, and at its north end a square mortise hole had been cut. The rebate presumably formed a joint to allow the interlapping of a second horizontal timber above it, held in place by a square post set in the mortise. This suggests a timber structure, from which the upper planking had either been removed or washed away by flooding. This 12th or 13th century timber structure may represent one side of a building fronting onto Miln Lane (now Stonegate Street). A series of organic and silt deposits had built up against the west side of the timber and may represent floors or occupation debris related to the timber-framed structure. Pottery recovered from these deposits dates to the 12th or 13th century. These features are covered by a series of silts relating to episodes of flooding.
Cutting these silts was a north-south linear feature interpreted as a drainage ditch, feeding water into the Millfleet to the south. Gravel suggests the presence of a metalled surface west of this ditch.
Truncating all but the western edge of the ditch was a footing trench for a north-south aligned wall infilled with bands of silt and compacted mortar. Pottery from this foundation trench was of 13th to 14th century date. The wall was constructed of irregular sandstone blocks bonded with lime mortar. Part of this wall had been robbed out, and it appears that the sandstone blocks were used to create a later dry stone wall on this site.
A brick structure, perhaps a well or substantial floor drain for a cellar was encountered and extended to a depth of greater than 1.4m. This was capped with a brick roof and around this a herringbone pattern brick floor had been constructed, enclosed by two brick walls and thought to be part of a cellar.
Post medieval cellars covered medieval walls, postholes, a possible well and remains of a timber framed structure.
Medieval pottery and environmental remains.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
See NHER 33517 and NHER 33518 for information on Trenches 1-2.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.456).
E. Rose (NLA), 29 May 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 April 2015 and 27 May 2019.