NHER 41754 (Monument record) - Multi-period finds and features at Corner House

June 2005. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Four trenches excavated. Contexts 1 to 37 used.
A later Iron Age pit containing fifteen sherds of pottery, a semi-complete rotary quern, fragments of salt-making briquetage and worked flint was found. This was an important discovery as not only do the feature and artefacts comprise the first Iron Age archaeology found in Wells, but Iron Age rotary querns, briquetage and flint artefacts are rare finds in Norfolk.
A medieval ditch, either a field or property boundary, was found in one trench.
Three pits, a ditch and six features of post medieval date were discovered. The pits could have been dug as rubbish pits, quarries for clay or as garden features. Six parallel east to west features were most probably garden features.
See report (S1) and (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
J. Allen (NLA), 17 February 2006. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.

October 2005. Excavation.
Excavation of small area encompassing two of the evaluation trenches. Contexts 100-123.
No additional Iron Age features were identified.
Two parallel ditches were present, both of which produced Roman pottery sherds (suggesting a small medieval sherd recovered from one of these features during the evaluation was potentially intrusive. These were the first features of this period to be found in Wells, with a Roman presence previously evidenced only by chance finds.
Even though the site lies in what would have been the centre of Wells from at least the late medieval period onwards, no traces of buildings were identified.
The remainder of the features excavated were post-medieval in date and related to the site's recent use as a garden.
See assessment report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
J. Allen (NLA), 6 February 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.

April 2008. Outline publication synopsis.
This Iron Age evidence from this site will be included in a forthcoming monograph on Iron Age sites in Norfolk.
See revised project design (S5) and publication synopsis (S6) for further details.
S. Howard (NLA), 5 January 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.

A combined archive comprising material from both phases of archaeological work at this site has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.106).
P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.