NHER 68768 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains

December 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Ground penetrating radar survey of proposed development site.
There is a broad correlation between the survey results and the structures and open areas depicted at this location on the Ordnance Survey 1:500 Town Plan map of 1885 (S1). At this time the buildings occupying the site were arranged around two yards and the alleys that connected them to Ber Street – Cannell’s Court to the north and an unlabelled yard to the south. It is likely that these features preserved at least something of the earlier narrow burgage plots extending back from Ber Street. An infilled cellar associated with the street front properties between the two yard entrances can be seen but otherwise the buildings present in the late 19th-century are not particularly clear within the data. The cellar was probable associated with the Royal Standard public house.
There are possible faint traces of structures beneath the southern yard but little evidence elsewhere for earlier buildings. The mottled character of the time slice data does though suggest the presence of a complex sequence of archaeological deposits. These are present to a depth of at least 1.5m (and potentially up to 2m) below the present ground surface.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 6 January 2024.

March 2022. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site, with a total of three 4m by 4m trenches excavated.
Evidence for early activity on the site included a small group of residual prehistoric works flints, comprising an undiagnostic possible core fragment and flakes of Neolithic/Bronze Age date. Although two Late Saxon pottery sherds were recovered these were both residual in later contexts and early medieval pottery was notable absent. Although all three trenches did produce small amounts of high medieval pottery the bulk of this material was also probably redeposited. The only contexts to produce high medieval pottery but no later finds were probable soil deposits encountered at the base of the two trenches dug in the eastern half of the site. Two undated pits in one of these trenches were also potentially medieval. The bulk of the pottery recovered was of late medieval date, with this assemblage consisting predominantly of late medieval and transitional ware (LMT). It is potentially notable that one or possibly two of the LMT vessel were overfired with melted glaze - although most of the assemblage showed clear signs of use (suggesting the small number of misfired sherds potentially represented seconds rather than wasters). Much of this late medieval pottery come from sequences of probable quarry pits encountered within both of the trenches in the eastern half of the site. Several of these pits also produced later finds, including 17th-century clay tobacco pipe fragments and post-medieval bricks – suggesting that at least some of the late medieval pottery was residual within features of a slightly later date. Other finds recovered from these pits included a medieval/post-medieval lace tag, a medieval/post-medieval copper alloy ewer leg, post-medieval window glass, iron nails, fired clay and animal bone fragments. A single fragment of disarticulated human bone was also found. In one of the trenches the pits were sealed by a mortar layer containing post-medieval pottery and additional fragments of 17th-century clay tobacco pipe.
Encountered within this mortar layer were the remnants of an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned flint and mortar wall and the possible remnants of an associated rammed earth floor. The westernmost trench was dominated by structural remains, the earliest elements of which formed the walls of a basement. The main wall was built from flint, mortar and occasional brick fragments and contained a candle nook edged with tile. A later, roughly-coursed red brick wall appeared to block an opening in this wall and was itself cut by a later rectangular tank structure.
All three trenches encountered remains that can be directly associated with the buildings and yards depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1885 1:500 Town Plan map (S1). The southernmost trench exposed a cobbled surface associated with the southern yard and a north-north-west to south-south-south-east east aligned wall likely to represent the western wall of a building on the eastern side of the yard. Floor bricks set into the yard surface adjacent to this wall possibly indicated the position of a doorway or other opening.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2022.89).
P. Watkins (HES), 6 January 2024.