Plot 12, Hamburg Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King's Lynn: An Archaeological Evaluation.

Abstract

An archaeological trench evaluation undertaken in advance of the construction of office units. This 0.19 hectare site contained a now levelled saltern mound previously identified on a 1943 air photo. Two cross trenches were dug revealing the base of a large truncated mound of washed and dumped silt enclosing very minor briquetage debris. This overlay a black ashy deposit washed-in from surrounding saltern hearths. This covered the floor of a former saltmarsh tidal creek.Underneath the NW end of Trench 1 was a platform or mound with a pit and also the dumped remains of poorly preserved briquetage salt pan vessels and oven supports which showed strong similarities to Late Iron Age-Roman examples from Norfolf and Lincolnshire. A cut ditch around the base of this mound/ creek edge may have been a later addition. Beneath the SW end of Trench 2 was a slightly later silt mound. From the base of this came sherds of 14th/15th century pottery, briquetage (hearth) bricks and salt glaze 'slag'. There were three phases of saltern construction/use in total.