NHER 831 (Monument record) - Former brewery site, King Street

August 1988. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of excavation of six test pits by contractor.
Natural level exposed at 2.8m - 2.9m nearest King Street, and at 0.5m (with post medieval truncation) elsewhere.
See report (S1) for further details.
Compiled by J. E. Bown (NAU) 27 March 1991.

1989. Opposite St Ann Lane.
Negative evidence from Brewery Buildings being renovated for Norwich Union.
Compiled by W. Milligan (NCM) 7 March 1989.

July-August 1998. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
Four trenches excavated, three of which were at this location (Trenches 1-3). See NHER 26577 for details of Trench 4.
Possible Late Saxon town ditch found; medieval postholes, wall, pits etc.
Also undated prehistoric worked flints.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2017.

October 2000-January 2001. Excavation.
Three areas were excavated, two of which were at this location: Area 1 (Contexts 1001-1531) and Area 2 (Contexts 5000-5501). See NHER 26577 for details of Area 3.
Late Saxon, medieval and early post medieval frontage onto western side of King Street. Remains include a 12th century stone building and a 16th century building range. Site cut up by cellars in 18th and 19th centuries. High levels of residuality from medieval period onwards.
See assessment report (S4) and final report (S5) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S6).
The associated archive has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.126).
Compiled by J. Allen (NLA), 31 January 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 January 2017 and 27 April 2019.

NIAS records:
Morgan's brewery, King St. Norwich. The site was bought by Morgan in 1845, who grew the brewery and in 1887 turned it into a limited company supplying 178 pubs. The building suffered bomb damage in 1942 and beer had to be brewed at other major sites in Norwich while Morgan's site was rebuilt throughout the 1940s. Morgan's was bought out in 1961 by the two other major brewers in Norwich, Bullard's and Stewart & Patteson, who split possession of the company's pubs and sold the brewery to Watney Mann. Watney Mann started brewing here in 1962 and later bought out Bullard's and Stewart & Patteson in 1968 making them the only major brewer in Norwich. Watney Mann closed in 1986 and by 1989 all buildings were demolished and the site bought up by Norwich Union for redevelopment.
Extensive pre-demolition photographic record in NIAS file.
See (S7)
W. Arnold (HES), 09 Febuary 2011.