NHER 64895 (Negative evidence record) - Multi-period finds but no evidence for archaeologically-significant remains

December 2019-January 2020. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of new shop and café.
This work took place within the Victorian walled garden that had once served Little Plumstead Hall (NHER 8492).
Initial ground reduction and the subsequent excavation of a grid of pad revealed no archaeologically-significant remains other than the footings of a Victorian brick wall that had been partially demolished to facilitate these works. There was therefore no evidence that the adjacent graveyard of St Gervase’s and St Protase’s Church (NHER 8491) had ever extended to the west of its present boundary.
Undisturbed natural deposits were encountered at between 0.7m and 1.0m below modern ground level and were overlain by a fine sandy silt interpreted as a possible colluvial deposit.
A small number of unstratified finds were recovered, including:
1 ?Upper Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic large blade-like flint flake.
1 later Bronze Age notched flint flake, 1 ad hoc scraper on shatter fragment, 1 irregular core and 8 flakes.
1 medieval glazed floor tile.
1 post-medieval pottery sherd and 1 copper alloy button.
1 post-medieval/modern pottery sherd.
1 World War Two Civil Defence button.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.58).
P. Watkins (HES), 6 May 2021. Amended 9 July 2021.