Record Details
| NHER Number: | 26508 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Early post medieval occupation, Ber Street/Thorn Lane/Horns Lane |
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Summary
In 1999 an evaluation of land on the eastern side of Ber Street in advance of redevelopment recorded a number of post medieval features. No Saxon or medieval period features were noted. The earliest recorded activity appears to date to the late 15th to 17th centuries, a series of deep pits and depressions apparently representing quarrying of the underlying sand and clay. Metalworking debris, including numerous fragments of clay bell-mould, were deliberately dumped in these features. It is likely that bellfounding was carried out on an industrial scale at the site or nearby during the 16th or early 17th century, and this may be the site of such scale noted in Norwich.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 2331 0806 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG20NW |
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| Parish: | NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Ber Street/Thorn Lane/Horns Lane.
Includes area of sites NHER 422, NHER 362, NHER 26177.
April 1999. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of former waste paper depot, including Royal Oak Court, in advance of redevelopment.
The origins of urban development on Ber Street and in the surrounding area are not well understood, but no Saxon or medieval features were encountered during the work. The earliest recorded activity appears to date to the late 15th to 17th centuries, a series of deep pits and depressions apparently representing quarrying of the underlying sand and clay. Metalworking debris, including numerous fragments of clay bell-mould, were deliberately dumped in these features. It is likely that bellfounding was carried out on an industrial scale at the site or nearby during the 16th or early 17th century. Quarrying activity seems to have been quite short-lived and a thick 'garden soil' accumulated across the site during the post medieval period. A timber structure recorded in one of the trenches was of uncertain date and function.
Finds recovered included:
Late Saxon, medieval and post medieval pottery and medieval metalwork and animal remains.
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 : 2011.53).
Compiled by E. Rose (NLA), 2 July 1999. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.
Monument Types
- BEAM SLOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POST HOLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- PIT (14th Century to 17th Century - 1400 AD? to 1699 AD?)
- QUARRY (14th Century to 17th Century - 1400 AD? to 1699 AD?)
- BELL FOUNDRY (15th Century to 17th Century - 1500 AD? to 1650 AD?)
- CELLAR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- HEARTH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WELL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- NAIL (Undated)
- ROD (Undated)
- WINDOW GLASS (Undated)
- POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CLENCH NAIL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- ECOFACTS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FISH REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- MOULD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- PIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- QUERN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BELL (15th Century to 17th Century - 1500 AD? to 1650 AD?)
- METAL WORKING DEBRIS (15th Century to 17th Century - 1500 AD? to 1650 AD?)
- FLOOR TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- JETTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- TOBACCO PIPE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Photograph: Shelley, A.. 1999. PXH. |
| --- | Slide: Shelley, A.. 1999. Slides 1-106, Thorn Lane and Horns Lane, Norwich. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Shelley, A. 1999. Report on an Arcaheological Evaluation between Thorn Lane and Horns Lane, Ber Street, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 422. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2000. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1999. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt III pp 521-543. p 531. |
Related records
| Site 1062 | Parent of: 50-52 Ber Street (Monument) |
| 26177 | Parent of: Area of no archaeological finds or features, Nos 50 to 52 Ber Street (Negative evidence) |
| 422 | Parent of: Area of no archaeological finds or features, Nos 60-64 Ber Street (Negative evidence) |
| Mon 1474 | Parent of: Ber Street Between Thorn and Horns Lanes (Monument) |
| Mon 1475 | Parent of: Ber Street Between Thorn and Horns Lanes (Monument) |
| Mon 1476 | Parent of: Ber Street Between Thorn and Horns Lanes (Monument) |
| 39789 | Parent of: Late Saxon structure and medieval and post medieval industry, Numbers 36 to 58 Ber Street (Monument) |
| 362 | Parent of: Post medieval pottery sherds (Find Spot) |
| Site 774 | Parent of: Thorn Lane (south side) (Monument) |
| Mon 530 | Parent of: Thorn Lane (south side) (Monument) |
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