| Summary: | An archaeological trench evaluation and recording was carried out on land at 48 Beacon Lane prior to redevelopment in order to establish the character of any surviving archaeological deposits or features. Five trenches totalling 108 metres were excavated. Shallow trenches representing robbed out wall footings were exposed in Trenches 1, 2 and 5, that in Trench 5 being a continuation of one of the two footings found in Trench 2. The robber trenches were filled with demolition material. A wide shallow ditch (405) cut into the subsoil was revealed in Trench 4. Finds comprised a small collection of medieval tile fragments and a single medieval pot sherd. Two sherds of post medieval pottery were found in overlying deposits and one worked flint came from the earlier soil in Trench 1.
The robbed out footings appear to represent the footprint of a medieval building. None of the original fabric of the building remains, the floors and foundations having been completely removed during its demolition. Any other surviving features were truncated during the construction of former 20th century industrial units on the site. The finds recovered from the back fill of the robbed wall footings including floor tiles, roof tile and a single sherd of pottery all date from the 13th/14th century and are comparable with finds from excavations at Polsloe Priory and are likely to have originated from the priory church. The finds together with the similar alignment of the building to those within the core of the priory suggest that the priory curtilage extended into this area, the ditch possibly defining its eastern boundary. Although inconclusive the walls at the west end of the building and its alignment to the Mincinglake Stream which kinks at this point may be indicative that the building was a watermill. |
|---|