NHER 37297 (Negative evidence record) - Site at which no archaeologically significant remains were observed, Nar Ouse Regeneration Area

2000. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of Nar-Ouse Regeneration Area (NORA).
See report (S1) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2015.

July 2002. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of trial pits within northern part of Nar-Ouse Regeneration Area (NORA).
Investigations undertaken because the line of Civil War defensive works formerly extended through the site.
No evidence of the Civil War defences, which had probably been removed during the 19th century when the area was quarried. The only features and deposits of any note were all 19th century, including a brick surface associated with a former coal yard and dumped deposits that had formed part of the railway embankment belonging to the King's Lynn Harbour Railway (NHER 13593).
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.306).
J. Allen (NLA), 28 January 2003. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2015 and 17 May 2019.

October-November 2010. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of new Public Transport Route between Boal Quay and Wisbech Road.
This work was focused on the two locations where the new transport route would intersect with the postulated line of the town’s Civil War defences (NHER 5486; TF 6181 1929 and TF 6191 1915). In the event no evidence for these earthworks was identified at either location. This negative result was however probably at least in part due to the relatively shallow formation level of the development. This section of the town defences also coincides with the route of the King’s Lynn Harbour Railway (NHER 13593), the construction and demolition of which will presumably have resulted in at least degree of disturbance to the surviving archaeological deposits.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 April 2018.

May 2019. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey undertaken as part of the King’s Lynn Under Siege English Civil War Archaeological Project (Area A).
This was one of two locations examined close to the Nar Bridge in an attempt to identify surviving traces of the Civil War defences erected following the capture of Lynn by Parliamentarian forces in 1643. The focus was the section of the defences known to have extended northwards from a bastion at c. TF 6178 1915. Desk-based research undertaken for the project suggests that this part of the defences may have actually followed a slightly different line to that recorded by the Ordnance Survey, perhaps accounting for why they had hadn’t been picked up by previous archaeological work in the area.
Unfortunately the geophysical survey failed to produce any useful data due to the amount of background magnetic disturbance – most likely caused by debris associated with post-medieval and modern activity at this location.
See Investigation Proposal (S5) and report (S6) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 April 2023.