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Summary

The below-ground remains of 19th century buildings, including a cellar and a possible industrial structure, were found during archaeological investigations on land at the rear of 104/106a East Street in 2011 (SOU 1562) and 2015 (SOU 1690). The function of these structures and buildings is unknown.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• CELLAR (Built, Post Medieval - 1802 AD to 1846 AD)
• CELLAR (Built, Post Medieval - 1802 AD to 1899 AD)
• CESS PIT (Built, Post Medieval - 1802 AD to 1899 AD)
• INDUSTRIAL BUILDING (Built, Post Medieval - 1802 AD to 1846 AD?)
• WALL (Built, Post Medieval - 1802 AD to 1899 AD)
• SEWER (Built, Post Medieval - 1850 AD to 1899 AD)

Full description

SOU 1562 (archaeological evaluation excavation at Canal Walk, rear of 104/106a East Street, in 2011):
[1] (and [2]): Trench 2. Feature 3 was a rectangular pit, brick-lined on N and W sides. It undercut the town wall and was probably an early 19th century cess pit. To the north were two brick foundations, one with lumps of limestone in its base; these were probably mid-19th century.

Trench 3. The rampart layers were cut by a post hole containing the remains of a decayed post. A probable brick foundation was related to one of foundations in Trench 2.

Trench 4. Feature 45 was a large feature, >4m long, >2m wide and >1.6m deep; the base was c2.5m below site ground level. Only the south half of the feature was exposed. Its south and west sides were formed by a curving brick wall. The base was of hard, stony, lime mortar, sloping slightly from W to E. A brick and stone feature at the east end may have been part of an entrance. The feature was of unknown function, but possibly industrial. To the east, feature 43 and some associate brick features were almost certainly related to it, as was a stone and brick foundation to the south. They may have dated to the early 19th century. A map of 1802 shows no development in the site area, although development had begun to the north, on the south side of East Street. The features may have been associated with a business on East Street, and/or a business adjacent to the canal to the east of the site; no evidence for the canal was found on the site. However feature 45 is unlikely to have been used to accommodate boats. The detailed 1845 map (=1846 map [4]) shows the area of these features occupied by buildings. The features may have been inside the buildings. Also present in the eastern part of this trench were two 19th century brick cellars.

Trench 5. A N-S stone wall at the east end of the trench cut ditch fills. It was >1.5m long, c430mm wide and >1.6m high. It contained brick fragments probably of late 18th or early 19th century date. The wall was probably part of a cellar. At the west end of the trench was a N-S brick sewer, cut through the rampart.
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SOU 1690 (archaeological excavation at the rear of 104–106 East Street in 2015):
[3]: The SOU 1690 work (Trench 6) revealed more of the 19th century structures originally uncovered on SOU 1562 Trenches 4 and 5 (above).

In the late 18th century, the ditch area was deliberately raised, perhaps up to the level of Canal Walk (the E-W part of this street) to the south (see MSH5560), associated with redevelopment of the area. The 1771 map shows the ditch area as rough ground with trees, whereas the 1802 map shows buildings along the line of the ditch, and by 1806 Garret’s the stonemasons were occupying the plot.

EARLY 19th CENTURY STONE WALLS
Further remains of the stone-built cellar found in SOU 1562 Trench 5 were revealed. This was SOU 1690 structure 539, and consisted of two stone walls at right angles (one of which had been found on SOU 1562). The walls also contained some post-medieval bricks and tile, and many of the stones showed signs of reuse from an earlier structure. The source of stone is unknown, although the town wall north East Gate was removed between 1771 and 1791.
(HER 21/1/2016. The structure 539 walls appear to correspond to a building shown on the 1846 map [4].)

EARLY 19th CENTURY BRICK WALLS
At the northern end of the trench was an E/W red brick wall, its construction trench cutting one of the stone walls.
In the SW corner of the trench was another E/W red brick wall.
SOU 1562 Trench 4 had revealed a brick structure/cellar with apsidal end, numbered feature 45. On SOU 1690, more of this structure was uncovered, numbered 507. The apsidal end was uncovered, revealing its full N/S width, although the deposit within the structure was not excavated. Overall, it was over 5m long (E-W), over 5m wide (N/S) and at least 1.6m deep. (This is described as a cellar in the SOU 1690 report.)

LATE 19th CENTURY SEWER
Brick-built sewer revealed SOU 1562 Trench 5 (context 60), and again in SW part of the SOU 1690 trench (brickwork chamber 538, construction trench 536. It cut one of the stone walls of structure 539.
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Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH2081 - Evaluation excavation rear of 104/106a East Street (on Canal Walk/Back of the Walls) in 2011 (Ref: SOU 1562)
• ESH2336 - Excavation rear of 104-106 East Street (on Canal Walk/Back of the Walls) in 2015 (Ref: SOU 1690)

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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