NHER 41618 (Monument record) - Possible fisherman's hut and fish garth

May-November 2004. Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Survey.
Inter-tidal survey (Environmental Zone 26), Context 145:
A collection of posts were found embedded in estuarine mud. Some of the wooden posts formed a circular structure. It may have been used as fish garth, a type of tank used by fishermen to temporarily hold catches. Other posts may have been part of a jetty or walkway.
See assessment report (S1) for further details.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.421).
J. Allen (NLA), 26 April 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2019.

November 2005. Norfolk NMP.
Inter tidal structures including a possible fisherman's hut and a D shaped enclosure of probable post medieval to modern date are visible on aerial photographs (S2), (S3), (S4) and (S5). These structures are located at TG 4979 0809 and their remains were recorded by the Norfolk Rapid Coastal Survey (S1). The earliest available aerial photographs showing these structures dates to October 1945 (S2). At that time they lay within a triangular area of saltmarsh located in the corner created by a bend in the flood bank.

A small rectangular building was located in the central part of the group and was aligned parallel with the flood bank. It had a pitched roof and measured approximately 3m by 2m in size. It is possible that it was a fisherman's or wildfowler's hut. Its position appears to correspond to some of the posts recorded by the Coastal Survey and it is possible that these formed part of the structure or its foundations. However, no evidence of the superstructure itself was noted during the Coastal Survey. Immediately to the northeast of this structure was a possible jetty or walkway. Some posts from this structure also appear to have been observed during the coastal survey. On the estuary (southeast) side of the building was a wooden structure that corresponds to the circular enclosure interpreted as a fish garth by the Coastal Survey (S1). However, a straight line of posts along its landward (northwest) side gave it a roughly D shaped plan measuring nearly 6m by 3.5m overall. None of these structures are clearly shown on the aerial photographs and it is not possible to add greatly to the interpretation of the field survey team. An irregular area of saltmarsh is shown at this location on the Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 25 inches to the mile map (S6), but none of the structures are present, suggesting that they may be of 20th century date.
J. Albone (NMP), 22 November 2005.

June 2015. Field visit.
During the field visit it was clear that the structure described as circular by the Norfolk Rapid Coastal Survey is in fact D shaped (as observed by NMP).
D. Robertson (HES), 5 June 2015.