NHER 67094 (Monument) - Post-medieval and later features

November 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The two trenches excavated demonstrated that, prior to the early post-medieval period, this site had lain at the interface between either an area dominated by tidal creeks or the western extent of the mouth of the River Yare, and a higher area of sandy foreshore to the west.
The western trench exposed a reasonably substantial north-to-south aligned ditch that was cut into the natural sands but seemingly not through the overlying deposits. The natural sand were overlain by a compact dark grey sandy silt that also appeared to form the primary fill of the ditch. This probable soil was overlain by a silt deposit likely to have formed as a result of an episode of waterlogging. Several fragments of post-medieval brick were recovered from this layer, which also formed the main fill of the ditch. This material was sealed by a further alluvial silt deposit, which was in turn overlain by various deposits likely to represent surfaces, make-up layers and garden soils associated with former cottages shown on 19th-century maps.
Two parallel, narrower gullies or truncated ditches were recorded to the west of the large ditch, one of which contained several undiagnostic brick fragments. The ditch was truncated by a pit containing pottery and glass of late 19th- or early 20th-century date, which was not excavated.
The eastern trench was machine excavated to a depth of 1.25m below modern ground level, exposing a mixed deposit of grey peaty material, silt and sand. Finds recovered from this deposit included a medieval roof tile, a post-medieval brick fragment and a piece of clay tobacco pipe stem. Late post-medieval/modern pottery and another clay tobacco pipe stem fragment were recovered from an overlying mixed deposit likely to represent imported make-up material. A sondage excavated by machine to a depth of 2.55m below ground level failed to reach the base of the silt deposits. A subsequent auger survey demonstrated that natural sands and gravels lay at a depth of up to 3m below ground level (c.-1.91m OD).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2018.340).
P. Watkins (HES), 17 May 2023.