NHER 66897 (Monument record) - ?Late Saxon, post-medieval and undated remains

May 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
This initial phase of work saw the excavation of two 4m x 4m trenches, one in the south-east corner of the site (Trench 1) and one in the north-east corner (Trench 2).
The two trenches were excavated to a maximum depth of 2.24m below ground level, with archaeological remains exposed beneath deep sequences of soils and other deposits.
In the southern trench natural sands and gravels were truncated by a possible east-to-west aligned ditch or large pit with a primarily fill of grey brown silty sand and a very stoney main fill. A sample from the primary fill produced only a small assemblage of plant macrofossils comprising charcoal/charred wood fragments, two indeterminate cereal grains and charred root/stem fragments. Three post-holes were encountered at the same level. One appeared to cut the fill of the larger feature but its relationship with the other two was less clear. A Late Saxon pottery sherd found in one of the post-holes was the only datable find recovered from this group of features. A small number of additional Late Saxon pottery sherds were though recovered from an overlying stoney soil, along with a single medieval sherd. The possible ditch is regarded as probably Late Saxon in date and it is suggested that it may have been related to the town's Late Saxon defences, although previous work suggests the main defensive ditch lay at least 30m to the south. These early features were overlain by a deep sequence of what were interpreted as redeposited garden soils. These soils also sealed the robbed-out remains of a north-west to south-east aligned post-medieval wall of red brick and large flint cobbles.
The northern trench revealed a sequence of intercutting pits, the base of which could not be reached within the confines of the excavated area. Apart from a single sherd of abraded Late Saxon pottery all finds from these features came from the uppermost fill of the last pit in the sequence. This mixed assemblage comprises a mix of Late Saxon, medieval/post-medieval and post-medieval pottery and fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material (including a probable floor tile fragment of likely 18th- or 19th-century date). The earliest of the features were probably quarry pits, although the function of the later examples (which were cut into the fills of earlier pits) is less certain.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.183).
P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2023.

August 2018. Trial Trenching.
This second phase of archaeological evaluation took place following the demolition of several building that had previously occupied the site. Three additional 4m x 4m trenches were excavated (Trenches 3-5).
Natural deposits were encountered at between 1.15m and 1.28m below ground level. In one trench the natural sands and gravels were directly overlain by a thick probable made-ground deposit, indicating at least some degree of past truncation. Elsewhere this material overlay a thin subsoil layer.
Remains recorded included a cluster of discrete features revealed in the westernmost trench. These were all of uncertain date, finds being limited to a single tiny (and likely residual) Late Saxon pottery sherd. A possible linear feature exposed in the same trench contained a sherd of medieval pottery. The only features exposed elsewhere another undated pit and a possible north-east to south-west aligned ditch that produced single sherds of Late Saxon and medieval pottery and an unidentified iron object of possible post-medieval date.
Samples taken from four of the excavated features produced a small number of cereal grains but little else in the way of plant macrofossils. Fragments of coal and vitrified probable clinker/coal ash were present in all of the samples, which is likely to represent heath ash from post-medieval fires.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2023.