NHER 450 (Monument record) - Late Saxon cemetery and waterfront buildings, medieval stone house and workshops, St Martin-at-Palace Plain, Magistrates' Courts

14 St Martin-at-Palace Plain, 1 and 2 Beehive Yard. Site of the Magistrates' Courts.

January to December 1981. NAU excavation directed by B. S. Ayers.
Residual Middle Saxon material, Late Saxon buildings on street frontage, probably warehouses. Three Late Saxon burials aligned east to west, possibly suggest location of 'lost' Late Saxon church north of World's End Lane.
Late Saxon foreshore consolidated with brushwood and revetments.
Medieval: Romanesque building of flint with Barnack and Caen stone dressings. Survives to more than 2m high.
Artisan workshops of timber replaced in 14th century by stone-footed buildings. Decline of waterfront from 12th century onwards.
Romanesque building continued in use into post medieval period, perhaps standing until after Second World War.
In addition, excavation uncovered the remains of the erroneously-named late 14th-century 'Calthorpe House' which was demolished in 1962 when a 15th-century bay window was salvaged and eventually reset in 1971 at 10 St Martin-at-Palace Plain (see NHER 192).
Air photograph taken by D. Edwards (NAU) during excavations show remains of Romanesque house.
Compiled by B. Ayers (NAU).

Full details of excavation and building see (S5). Also see photographs [S9].

November 1988. Scheduled.
Scheduling Description:
Undercroft of rectangular building with projecting latrine turret. Constructed of coursed flint rubble with ashlar dressings. Remains of 3 window openings and a doorway in north wall. Latrine turret for effluent contains a stone arch facing river. Two buttresses on interior of north wall acted as supports for an upper floor feature. No evidence for vaulting in the 12th century. Structure in ruins by c. 1300; restored c. 1450 with installation of brick vault supported by brick and flint piers, bases for 2 of which survive. External dimensions 17.50m by 8.50m. Maximum surviving height of walls 1.07m.
A subterranean chamber was formed when the modern building (not scheduled) over the remains was constructed. The standing remains and the area up to the enclosing modern walls are scheduled. However, the enclosing modern walls are not included in the schedule.
Information from (S7).
H. Hamilton (HES), 05 June 2018.


A different theory for the identification of Berney's Inn and the origin of the window now at site NHER 192 is given in (S6) p78.
E. Rose (NLA), 9 May 2001.