NHER 40773 (Monument record) - Norwich Provision Market

September-October 2004. Trial Trenching.
Evaluatuion of Norwich Market, prior to its proposed redevelopment. Contexts 1-107.
The results of the excavation suggest that Norwich market has undergone at least three campaigns of re-modellings since its inception in the 11th century. The first of these happened in around 1500 and perhaps coincided with the erection of the huge market cross which stood opposite Davey Place until 1732. Considerable amounts of soil must have been moved during this campaign and it is possible that this was used to infill the nearby valley of the Great Cockey. As a consequence of this earth-moving no archaeological remains pre-dating the later 1400s were encountered.
The second phase of remodelling was a great deal more gradual and saw the encroachment into the market place of permanent buildings. These destroyed much of the underlying archaeological remains, especially at the western end of the market.
The third phase of remodelling was undertaken during the 1930s during municipal arrangement of the space in front of the new City Hall. This swept away the buildings that had encroached on the edges of the market, and left the market as we know it today.
Finds recovered included an unusual copper alloy disc bearing an impression from a 14th century seal matrix and a late medieval or early post medieval pinners bone.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 12 December 2006.

January 2005. Watching Brief.
Monitored various groundworks on Gentlemen's Walk and within the market itself. From Context 1000.
Although many of the deposits encountered had been disturbed by previous services the deeper areas of Trench 1 were observed to contain make-up deposits or colluvial fills of the Great Cockey Valley.
No archaeological finds were recovered.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
J. Allen (NLA), 17 February 2006.

February-November 2006. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Undertaken during redevelopment of Norfolk Market. Continuation of work started in 2004.
Although documentary evidence suggests that the market was established in its current location by 1096 at the latest, very little archaeological evidence from this date has been identified. This may be due to frequent truncations of the market place, or to the nature of the early market place. Unless permenant stalls or structures had been constructed, few archaeological remains would have survived. A number of large quarry pits were identified and some may date from this period but are difficult to date. A small quantity of pottery from this period was recovered.
Remains of several cellars were uncovered along the western side of the site. One of these was built of stone cobbles bonded with lime motar and appeared to have been of early medieval construction. Other cellars incorporating brick barrel vaults were recorded. A door arch in the perpendicular style was recorded in one vault which indicates a sixteenth century date. A metalled track or holloway was recorded in section and was aligned north-east south- west.
The foundations of the market cross were discovered and consisted of an inner flint and brick wall and an external brick wall. A number of redbrick cellars were also recorded in various locations across site site, and have been interpreted as possible icehouses associated with the fish and meat markets in the 18th and 19th centuries.
See report (S5) and assessment report (S6) for further information.
H. White (NLA) 5 January 2008.

A combined archive comprising material from all phases of archaeological work at this site has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.237).
P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2019.