NHER 60533 (Monument record) - Site of a late medieval to post-medieval windmill

May 2011. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 September 2015.

September-October 2011. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey of proposed development area (Field B).
This survey recorded a small, circular complex of anomalies in the north of this field. These have been interpreted as cut features of archaeological origin. No attempt has been made to interpret their possible date or function.
See NHER 56292 for results from the field to the west of Overbridge Road (Field A) and NHER 13580 for evidence of the former Wymondham to Fforncett railway.
See report (S2) for further information.
H. Hamilton (HES), 06 August 2013.

December 2011. Trial Trenching.
Two evaluation trenches were excavated across the anomalies detected during preceding geophysical survey.
The excavation exposed a large, curvilinear outer ditch (visible at each end of both trenches) and traces of a smaller, internal ditch following the same alignment (only visible at one end of trench 1). In the centre of the ditches, a cross-shaped feature was recorded and this was surrounded by a burnt deposit.
A single piece of late 14th to early 16th century coarseware was recoverd from the vicinity of the outer ditch at the eastern end of trench 1.
These features have been identified as the foundations of a late medieval to post-medieval windmill, possibly an early open trestle or sunken post-mill. The central cross-shaped feature wuld have held the cross-trees that formed the base for the windmill trestle, while the outer ditch would have housed the turning mechanism for positioning the sails. All features were recorded in plan, but were not excavated during the evaluation.
See report (S3) for further information.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.39).
H. Hamilton (HES), 23 October 2014. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2019.