Site of 12th to 13th century building, Mayflower House, Church Street (EHER 14987)

A trench around 14m long and 2m wide was excavated by machine on the site of the demolished Methodist Chapel adjacent to Mayflower House. The earliest feature was a slot for a small wooden building of late 12th or 13th century date sealed by 13th century floor levels. One building phase had been destroyed by fire.

Excavation, 1986 A trench around 14m long and 2m wide was excavated by machine on the site of the demolished Methodist Chapel adjacent to Mayflower House. The earliest features date from late 12th century to 1225 and consist of slot and post holes. At least three phases of 13th century buildings were identified. It was suggested that a garden soil or dark earth layer above these might be associated with late medieval economic decline, though this cannot be conclusively demonstrated. <1> - <3> Photo: 5 B and W prints from HW3 excavation. <4> Information from NRHE Excavations took place in 1986 on the site of a demolished Methodist chapel, adjacent to Magflower House. The earliest feature was a slot for a small wooden building of late 12th or 13th century date sealed by 13th century floor levels. One building phase had been destroyed by fire. Post holes for a wooden building or fence line and a deep oval cess pit were found at the front of the site. During the 14th century a deposit of sand was spread over the site as a precaution against flooding. The layer was cut by a number of later Medieval and post-medieval features including two large, rectangular vertically sided pits, possibly the remains of 15th-16th century sunken floored buildings. <5>