SNN112305 - Former Site of Japonica Cottage, 76 High Street, Gretton, Northamptonshire: Archaeological investigation

In March & June 2020, an archaeological investigation was carried out by Souterrain during groundwork for a new dwelling on a plot of land (c. 300 sq. m) in High Street, Gretton, Northamptonshire. A historic characteristic of the site is its stone boundary wall fronting the road, which is formed from a cottage that was demolished in the mid- 20th century. Other archaeological interest stems from a late 16th century map which shows a tenement in existence approximately at this location. In view of this, the main purpose of the investigation was to examine and record any buried archaeological evidence pertaining to the former occupancy of the site, and to attempt to ascertain its date. The investigation confirmed the remains of an L-shaped building that had occupied the site for around two and half centuries. From at least the late 19th century the building had comprised two separate dwellings. The archaeology comprised of remnants of lower wall courses built of coursed rubble, floor surfaces, including a pozzolanic surface, and a cellar. The cellar was long and narrow, over 2 m in depth, and appears to have been timber-lined. It was in-filled in a single event. Pottery sherds from the fill denote a redundancy date in the late 1600s or early 1700s. A construction date for the cellar was not established. Neither could a date be ascertained for the construction of cottage. It was confirmed that a portion of one cottage remains buried and apparently undisturbed. Historical research revealed that the two dwellings were known as Japonica Cottage, at least from the late 19th century onwards, when they were occupied by two Baptist families, the Colemans and the Spendloves. The report includes photographs of some of the main residents of Japonica Cottage of this period. The analysis incorporates a reconstruction of the broad planimetric layout of the cottages, achieved by combining the 2020 archaeological site survey with historic mapping, while utilising knowledge from historic photographs (from private collections) which are also included in the report. Overall the results of the investigation open a new window to the history of this High Street plot.