NHER 39688 (Monument record) - Medieval building and potentially Early Saxon features, Former Lex Garage, High Street

December 2000. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of likely archaeological impact of proposed new library.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 August 2015.

April 2003. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of likely archaeological impact of proposed development.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 August 2015.

September-October 2003. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed redevelopment area to east of High Street (Trenches 5-18).
See NHER 60793 and reports (S3) and (S4) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 June 2015.

January 2004. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of former garage to west of High Street, prior to proposed redevelopment of site (Trenches 1-4).
Possible timber structure, may be prehistoric, slender evidence suggests this may be a Neolithic structure. Also evidence for possible settlement of the street frontage during the 13th or 14th centuries: several refuse and quarry pits were set back a little way from the present day street edge. One of these pits contained two medieval waster sherds, bolstering circumstantial evidence that the Dereham/Scarning area may have supported a medieval pottery production centre.
See reports (S5) and (S4) for further details. See also newspaper article (S6).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.488).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 7 September 2004. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 June 2015 and 27 May 2019.

February 2004. Excavation.
Excavation of two relatively small areas (Trenches 19 and 20) in north-east corner of site.
Many archaeological features were recorded, including a medieval building set against High Street. This was replaced by a post medieval building with brick footings. A range of pits and yard surfaces associated with medieval and post medieval activity were encountered to the rear. Fenced areas, a possible track and extraction pits demonstrate use of the property's backland. A rubbish pit in this area contained 13th- to 14th-century pottery, providing the clearest evidence yet of a medieval presence in this part of Dereham. Several sherds of 13th- to 14th-entury pottery recovered from this area appear to be wasters from a pottery production site.
Activity prior to the 12th century was represent by a few poorly-dated features, including the post-built structure identified during the earlier evaluation and a number of similarly aligned gullies. Although it had previously been suggested that the post-built structure could be prehistoric, a hazelnut shell from one of the gullies was radiocarbon dated to the Early Saxon period. It was suggested that these various early features were potentially associated with a single, Early Saxon phase of activity.
See published article (S7), publication draft (S8) and assessment report (S9) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S10).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.488).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 16 July 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 June 2015 and 27 May 2019.