An Archaeological Evaluation at 31 Church Street, Saffron Walden, Essex

Abstract

An archaeological evaluation was carried out ahead of redevelopment work on the site of 31 Church Street, Saffron Walden (Site Centre TL5837 3860) on behalf of Ashtenne Ltd. in response to a brief issued by Essex County Council (Havis 1997). Two trenches were machine excavated along the eastern edge of the site. One of the principal reasons for the investigation was to determine whether the inner bailey ditch of the nearby castle ran across the north of the site. No trace of this feature or anything that might relate to it were found. All the dateable material recovered was eighteenth century suggesting a fairly limited timespan for the observable archaeological record of the site. Many of the deposits, however, contained quantities of broken, probably fifteenth century, rooftiles within them suggesting that earlier structures had existed nearby and subsequently been demolished. No structural traces of any earlier buildings were observed. The investigations revealed evidence of two major activities on the site which are eighteenth century in date and may be contemporary. The lower part showed signs of at least two episodes of extensive truncation of the underlying chalk. H a d there been any earlier evidence this has certainly removed it. The second episode created a reverse step, against the slope as opposed to terracing, which had been infilled with a clean soil perhaps to create a garden. On the upper part of the site part of a large pit was revealed, presumably related to chalk extraction. This appeared to have been used subsequently, perhaps to burn chalk to produce lime as utilised in building or alternatively in the fulling process. There was evidence of two phases of this later process. No evidence was found of any kiln or other structure related to the process.