Monument record 2416/0/6 - Late/post medieval building, Market Place

Site observations on roadworks in the Market Place, Oundle, revealed various elements of the 16th-19th century road layout and associated buildings, including road surfaces, the footings of buildings, a system of limestone culverts and a well. The date of the well and the north part of the culvert system suggests extensive road improvement in the latter part of the 18th century.

{1} Site observations on roadworks in the Market Place, Oundle, revealed various elements of the 16th-19th century road layout and associated buildings, including road surfaces, the footings of buildings, a system of limestone culverts and a well. Immediately east of the present town hall limestone footings of part of a 16th to 17th century rectangular building were recorded. Inside the walls lay eigher a trample floor or the bedding for a stone floor. The building was overlain by a late 17th century brick culvert and also cut by the shallow remains of a service trench. Early 19th century pictures show the buried building as part of a cluster of buildings next to the Oundle Butter Cross. The whole was cleared for the building of the Town Hall wich was completed in 1829.
A system of well-built limestone culverts, with repairs in bricks, was uncovered mainly towards the west end of the new road scheme. The layout consisted of a main 17th to 18th century east-west culvery with a fall to the east, and with late 18th century branches on the north flowing into it. The main drain in turn channelled water south, towards the river, halfway along the Market Place.
Next to the war memorial a limestone well, for public use and dating from the late 18th century, was found. It was 800mm in diameter. From near the bottom and running through two timber struts was a lead pipe of 80mm bore, which originally led to a hand pump off-set from the well. The hand pump appears in the early 19th century pictures and may have been in use until c.1920.

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1979, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1978, 14/111 (checked) (Article). SNN45225.

<2> Nene Valley Research Committee, 1978, Oundle Town Centre: Archaeological remains discovered during roadworks 1978, (checked) (Plan). SNN57315.

Record last edited

Dec 15 2022 4:31PM