18th/19th century brick wall foundations at Tillingham Hall Farm, North Street, Tillingham (EHER 83342)

Trial trenching recorded two brick foundations which were aligned east-west and north-south. The foundations were surrounded by demolition debris and the bricks date from the 18th-19th centuries. The foundations belong to the large, enclosed farmyard to the north of Tillingham Hall.

January 2025. Trial trenching. Two brick foundations were recorded in Trench 5 and were aligned east-west and north-south. The east-west stretch was constructed of red unfrogged bricks and was three bricks (approximately 0.32m) wide, with the bricks arranged in running bond. Two courses of the foundation remained. Demolition debris, represented by a thin layer of mortar fragments, was present on the north-west side of this wall. The north/south stretch of wall was also built of unfrogged bricks. It was two courses high, with the upper course comprised of a single row set in stack bond. Scattered individual bricks, pieces of slate and mortar fragments, presumably remnants of demolition, surrounded and partly covered this wall. Brick samples from the foundations were dated from the late 18th to 19th century. Tillingham Hall (EHER 45550) was completely re-built in the 19th century, and the wall foundation is part of the large, enclosed farmyard built to its north. The 1838 Tithe Map shows that this wall was a part of the eastern north/south range of buildings. Other post-medieval features were recorded. Two shallow post holes in Trench 1 may represent a fence line associated with the Victorian farmyard. One of the post-holes produced animal bone and 19th/20th century glass. A curved ditch was recorded entering Trench 4 on a north-north-west alignment before curving to the south-east. It had a V-shaped base, moderately steep sides and was 0.95m wide and 0.25m deep. Modern brick and pipe pieces were found in the ditch along with fragments of mortar, animal bone and oyster shells. It has been attributed to the 'modern' period. <1>