NHER 69687 (Monument record) - Site of George Edwards Memorial Hall and post-medieval to modern remains

This is the site of the former George Edwards Memorial Hall. The exact age of this building is uncertain, although it was clearly of some age, being shown on the Ordnance Survey 25" map (S1) and potentially the same structure as a shorter one shown at this location on the North Walsham tithe map (S2). It was converted to commercial use in the second half of the 20th century, when a continuous single-storey extension was added around the north, east and south elevations.

September 2021. Photographic Survey.
Basic survey undertaken ahead of the proposed demolition of the hall.
The conversion of the hall in the 20th century saw the windows replaced with UPVC and a number of new openings made in the original fabric. It appears that any internal features of historic interest were also removed at this time.
There is nothing about the surviving fabric to suggest that the building was earlier than 19th century in date.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 January 2026,

November 2021 and January 2022. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of works undertaken prior to and during the demolition of the former George Edwards Memorial Hall.
The initial excavation of two small test holes demonstrated that the concrete floor slab of the building was c.0.2m thick and it was subsequently agreed that archaeological monitoring would only be required following the demolition of the building down to this level. Subsequent visits were then undertaken during the removal of the floor slab. Part of the slab was found to lies above c.0.2-0.3m of crushed brick and timber joists lying on two courses of brick were observed in one area.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 January 2026.

January-February 2022. Trial Trench.
Evaluation of proposed development site, following complete demolition of the former George Edwards Memorial Hall.
The single trench excavated revealed a relatively complex sequence of remains, although these were primarily associated with late post-medieval to modern phases of activity.
The earliest remains included a large pit-like feature containing a medieval/post-medieval buckle and two adjacent north-to-south aligned linear features, both of which contained post-medieval pantile fragments. These features were overlain by a mid-greyish brown clayey silt layer interpreted as a former soil. This deposit was truncated by a pit containing post-medieval pottery and a number of brick structures. The latter included several north-to-south aligned walls at the northern end of the trench. A wall built on a foundation of large flint nodules that turned to the east at its southern end was potentially the earliest of the three and potentially related to a boundary wall shown at this location in the North Walsham tithe map (S2). An adjacent probable boundary wall was constructed from brick of 19th-century date, as were a number of other structures, including a well or cess pit to the south. Several probable domestic waste pits of mid-19th-century or later date were probable broadly contemporary with these remains.
The first meeting hall measured approximately 11m by 8m and was most likely erected in the mid 19th century. It was subsequently extended to the north, which saw the original north wall of the hall removed. There was evidence for a small porch adjacent to the new north wall, with the remnants of a cobbled surface seen in what would have been an open area to the north of the building. A probable water tank lay within the northern extension. This extension presumably accounts for the differences in hold the building is depicted on (S1) and (S2). A subsequent phase of alterations appears to have seen the main doorway moved and various modifications to the surrounding boundary walls.
The work also revealed the surviving remnants of a building that can be seen to the north of the hall on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S1), which also appears to have been erected during the 19th century.
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 January 2026.