Monument record 1160/316/4 - Possible medieval tenement, Bridge Street

Trial trench excavation identified vestiges of a medieval stone building which fronted Bridge Street

{1}A foundation of roughly coursed and unmortared ironstone was found underneath modern concrete and tarmac. This foundation overlay an earlier reduced foundation of unmortared ironstone which formed one edge of a medieval building in two phases. The earlier edge of the medieval building comprised of two terminals equidistant either side of a central pier base. These formed a double entranceway. The highest masonry of the group survived to 58.am above OD. In one of the entrance gaps survived a line of flat threshold stones. A pebble floor was sealed by an accumulation of trampled material. The pebble area was flanked on either side by rammed clay floors. Within the pebble floors were post holes or lenses possibly relating to internal arrangements. These were not been investigated further.

The building was modified by the narrowing of the entrance with the new blocking walls. At the same time a new clay floor was laid to the north covering the former floor and postholes. The building was abandoned and levelled and the medieval debris was sealed in.The remains are of a medieval tenement fronting Bridge Street approximately 1.2m below the modern ground surface.

A total of 263 sherds of pottery was recovered from the evaluation overall, mainly from Trench 3. It spanned the period c1150 to c1750, although the earliest sherds are residual in later contexts.

Not enough information survived to associate the building with St Thomas' Hospital (HER ref: 1160/12).

<1> SODEN I, 1998, Archaeological Evaluation at Kwik Fit 8842, Northampton. Stage 2: Trial Excavation, (unchecked) (Report). SNN44558.

<2> Chapman A, 1998-9, Northampton, Bridge Street, (unchecked) (Note). SNN104057.

<3> 1999, Medieval Archaeology (43), p.271 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN107451.

Record last edited

Jul 10 2018 1:20PM