NHER 62633 (Monument record) - Medieval features, later walls and post-medieval layers

May-August 2009. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed redevelopment area (Trenches 5-6).
The earliest layers exposed were alluvial deposits, above which there was clear evidence for medieval activity. Although a small amount of Late Saxon and/or early medieval pottery was recovered this material was probably residual. It appears that the majority of the medieval features and deposits exposed were of 13th-century or later date.
The southern trench exposed two timber back-braces and a number of potentially associated timbers that are believed to have formed part of the medieval quayside. The position of these structures suggests that at this point the wharf was located to the south of the trench and aligned east-to-west. The deposits on the landwards side of these structures were cut by a number of pits that produced pottery of 13th- to 15th-century date. A broad cut that appeared to truncate these features and deposits was possibly the result of natural erosion and had been infilled with a sequence of dumped deposits that also produced finds of medieval date. One of these dumped deposits produced a plano-convex heath bottom, and further smithing slag was recovered from an overlying former soil layer. A number of medieval features were also identified in the northern trench, although here they were cut directly into the uppermost alluvial deposits. These remains included ditches that presumably marked boundaries and a number of probable refuse pits that may well have been associated with properties fronting onto Bridge Street. The medieval finds recovered from these features were also of predominantly 13th- to 15th-century date. One of the pits produced an assemblage of leather shoe fragments, with the presence of several offcut pieces suggesting this may have been waste generated by a cobbler working in the vicinity. Iron smithing slag was also recovered, as well as a small amount of waste from copper alloy working. These features were also overlain by a deposit interpreted as a soil layer. Taken as a whole, the assemblage of medieval finds recovered from these two trenches is quite substantial, comprising over 100 pottery sherds, more than 100 roof tiles and a number of bricks.
Within the southern trench the soil layer sealing the medieval features was overlain by several north-to-south aligned walls, the first two of which incorporated brick and tile of medieval date. The third was a brick wall that was associated with the remnants of a fairly thick brown mortar surface. Various post-medieval dumped deposits were also recorded. In the northern trench the medieval soil layer was overlain by a complex sequence of dumped deposits of predominantly post-medieval date. A number of probable pits were observed within this sequence as well several deposits of brick and tile that were probably deposited during the demolition of some form of nearby building. Post-medieval finds recovered from these two trenches included pottery, window, bottle and vessel glass, clay tobacco pipe, a copper alloy pin and a pottery crucible. Several post-medieval gun flints were also found, along with flint debitage associated with their production.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.322).
P. Watkins (HES), 2 April 2018. Amended 23 June 2019.