NHER 55734 (Monument record) - Site of Swan Laundry, Heigham Street

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Summary

Large, steam powered 19th - 20th century laundry service. In 2011 an evaluation was undertaken on land in the western area of the former laundry which revealed a ditch and pit of unknown date sealed by 18th and 19th century deposits. Extensive evidence of post-medieval buildings, demolition events and dumping was revealed and is probably associated with the former Swan Laundry.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TG20NW
Civil Parish NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

Map

Dry cleaners and launders for over a century. Used steam powered machinery for most of its working history, later switching to oil power. Up to the 1970s the business became unviable, with local dry cleaners proving more profitable and more people doing their laundry at home. Before closure it was the largest laundry facility in Norfolk. The site is visible on RAF 1946 aerial photographs and the 1st edition 1 inch ordnance survey map (S2). The site is now a small housing estate named "Old Laundry Court".
See (S1).
W. Arnold (HES), 20 June 2011.

June 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The excavation undertaken on land in the western area of the former laundry revealed a ditch and pit of unknown date sealed by 18th and 19th century deposits. Extensive evidence of post-medieval buildings, demolition events and dumping was revealed which is probably associated with the former Swan Laundry.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.432).
S. Howard (HES), 29 December 2011. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2019.

  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • <S1> Archive: NIAS. Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society Records.
  • <S2> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1805-1836. Ordnance Survey Map. One inch to the mile. First Edition.
  • <S3> Unpublished Contractor Report: Murphy, K. 2011. Archaeological Evaluation on Land at Old Laundry Court, Norwich, Norfolk. Archaeological Project Services. 68/11.
  • <S4> Article in Serial: Gaimster, M. 2012. Post-medieval fieldwork in Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Isles in 2011. Post-Medieval Archaeology. Vol 46 Pt 2 pp 367-432. p 405.

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Record last edited

May 16 2019 5:43PM

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