NHER 67882 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains

June-August 2016. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of ground clearance and preparation works at 32-34 Market Place, following demolition of Aldiss building (which had been gutted by fire in May 2014).
It was clear that the buildings on this side of the Market Place had been partly terraced into a natural slope, with the ground level notably lower than that of the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's Church to the north (NHER 7123). The site had also been significantly disturbed by two post-medieval cellars that were exposed following the removal of a concrete floor pad and metal stanchions associated with the Aldiss building. The first lay in the central part of the site and had rendered and whitewashed walls and a floor made up of deep red-brown pamment tiles. Detailed recording of this structure was not possible. A second cellar was partially exposed in the north-west corner of the site. The full extent of this cellar couldn’t be determined, although it had potentially extended beyond the north elevation of the demolished building. It appeared to have had a vaulted brick ceiling, suggesting it had perhaps joined an extant cellar with a similar roof observed beneath the property to the west (NHER 40835). A post-medieval well was noted close to this cellar.
At the northern edge of the site the soils of the adjacent churchyard were exposed in section. The collapse of these deposits exposed a partial inhumation, much of which had already been lost to truncated by a modern foundation trench. Excavation of these remains revealed two further partially disarticulated and commingled burials, the upper of which has been disturbed by drainage pipes. No grave cuts were visible and there was no evidence for coffins. Disarticulated bones representing the remains of several additional individuals were recovered elsewhere on the site.
Other finds were limited to several pieces of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe, a fragment of iron slag and a small assemblage of animal bone.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 December 2023.

March 2018. Watching Brief.
Maintained during excavation of pipe trench through passageway at 30 Market Place. This work took place after workers opening the trench disturbed human skeletal remains likely to represent in-situ burials. As with the burials uncovered to the east these remains almost certainly represented burials interred within the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church (NHER 7123) prior to the construction of the 18th-century buildings.
Two partial inhumation burials were excavated, both of which lay at the northern end of the passageway. Remains of note to the south of these burials included an east-to-west aligned, steep-sided linear feature that may have been a beam slot associated with a medieval building. Also exposed was a fairly substantial north-north-west to south-south-east aligned flint and mortar wall containing only occasional brick fragments. The orientation of this wall suggests it was unrelated to the adjacent extant building, although it would have been perpendicular to the church, suggesting it potentially represented an earlier boundary of the churchyard. Interestingly, one of the two partial inhumation burials recorded had a similar north-north-west to south-south-east alignment, suggesting it had been interred against the wall. This burial was truncated by a similarly-aligned brick wall. The second burial had a much more traditional east-north-east to west-south-west alignment (following that of the church itself). Human bone representing the remains of two further individuals had also been collected by the workers prior to the commencement of the watching brief. The source of this material is uncertain but it probably came from burials at a higher level.
Fragments of animal bone were the only other finds collected during this phase of work.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 December 2023.

An archive comprising material from the two phases of work at this site has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.332).
P. Watkins (HES), 29 December 2023.

The Aldiss building that previously occupied the site had probably been of a similar age to the surviving buildings to either side. The company moved to the site from their original store on Norwich Street in the 1890s. A distinctive 'Art Deco' façade was added to the department store in the early 20th century.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 December 2023.