NHER 49898 (Monument record) - Prehistoric, medieval and post medieval features, Town Road

March 2006. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Contexts 1-115.
Several phases of activity were identified including a prehistoric pit and ditch, a probable structure of medieval date, and evidence for the extraction of sand in the 16th to 20th centuries.
The medieval structure was represented by a linear feature with post holes inserted into a narrow trench. The upright timbers may have supported wattle and daub curtain panels, forming a wall of a building. The feature and an associated pit containing 11th to 13th century pottery was located in the southeastern corner of the siten near St Margaret's Church (NHER 8618).
The sand extraction pits were located in the central and western portions of the site. Two phases of extraction activity have been identified: one group of pits appears to date to the 16th century, while others date to the 18th to 20th century.
See report (S1) for further details. See also (S2) and (S3). The results of this work are also summaried in (S4).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.271).
J. Allen (NLA), 26 June 2007. Updated by H. Hamilton (NLA), 12 September 2008 and P. Watkins (HES), 11 May 2019.

August-September 2007. Excavation.
Excavation prior to construction of residential development. The separate, adjacent areas in the south-eastern corner of the site were investigated (House Plots 4-6 and a garage plot). Contexts 200- 441?.
This work recorded evidence for activity from the prehistoric period to the 20th century. Potentially the earlier features exposed were a ditch and two pits that only produced a small number of worked flints, including a Mesolithic/Early Neolithic crested blade. The remainder of the flint assemblage was characteristic of the Neolithic or later prehistoric periods.
One small pit in the southeast of the site contained two sherds of 10th to 11th century pottery and may therefore represent Late Saxon activity in the area.
Twenty-two sand extraction pits were identified. The majority of these were spot-dated to the 18th to 20th century, but two were dated to the 16th to 18th century, five to the 15th-16th century, and one may date to the 12th to 14th century. Eight further undated pits recorded during the watching brief are likely also related to sand extraction. One probable post medieval trench and 10 post medieval ditches and gullies were also recorded. A northeast-southwest ditch contained 15th to 16th century pottery and an east-west ditch contained 17th-19th century brick.
Thirteen 18th to 20th century refuse pits were clustered in the southeastern portion of the site, while foundations and remnants of floors of a 19th century agricultural farm building were located in the southwest. The animal bone assemblage indicates that domestic species of mammal and bird were butchered near the site and the relatively high proportion of neonatal pig remains indicates small scale farming in the 18th to 20th century. Four pits were found to contain animal burials. Bones recovered include the tibia of a small breed older adult dog and a tibia and phalanges from a young adult cat, wich may represent burials of domestic pets associated with the occupation of the site from the 18th century onwards.
See archive report (S5) for further details. See also (S6) and (S7).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.272).

Although it is stated that a watching brief was maintained during groundworks elsewhere on the site there is no record in (S5) of any archaeological observations made during this work.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 11 September 2008. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 August 2015 and 11 May 2019.