Late medieval to early post-medieval culvert at 18 High Street, Manningtree (EHER 80349)

A late medieval to early post-medieval culvert or soakaway was discovered during the groundworks.

August 2019. Watching brief. A late medieval to early post-medieval culvert or soakaway was discovered during the groundworks. The structure was arched in shape and was constructed of reused late medieval or early post-medieval floor tiles, peg-tiles, and large pebbles bound with lime mortar. The interior of the structure was 2.12m long and 0.75m wide. The structure was backfilled with a loose, medium/dark brown clayey-sand containing large quantities of CBM and glass fragments. The backfill was augured to an approximate depth of 1m beneath the tile arch, but it was unclear whether the floor of the structure was reached. The structure was partly constructed of reused floor tiles recovered from a high-status building dating from the 14th to the 16th century. It is unlikely that the floor tiles were transported a great distance to construct this structure, and it is therefore probable that the remains of the building from which they were retrieved lie nearby. <1>