NHER 69176 (Monument record) - Late post-medieval remains and medieval to post-medieval finds

November 2024. Watching Brief.
Maintained during construction of rear extension to existing dwelling known as Hill Rise.
The foundation trenches encountered natural deposits at a depth of c.0.5m, which were overlain by a thin subsoil. A steep-sided linear feature was recorded that contained chalk block rubble, large building flints and brick fragments of probable 18th- to 19th-century date. This had a similar alignment to the current building and likely represented a robbed-out wall footing associated with one of the cottages and outbuildings that can be seen at this location on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch map (S1). A well with a concrete cap also lay within the footprint of the new extension. The lower half and uppermost portions of the well were flint lined, with the section in between constructed from what appeared to be bricks of 18th- to 19th-century date.
Unstratified objects recovered during this work included a small number of medieval to post-medieval pottery sherds, a medieval/post-medieval copper alloy vessel fragment, late post-medieval to modern buckles, cockle and oyster shells and fragments of animal bone.
A large piece of abraded late medieval architectural limestone was also recorded – identified as being from a moulded doorway architrave. Other fragments of limestone ashlar and moulding had previously been recovered within the garden area by the owners and used as edging.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 June 2025.