Site Event/Activity record ESF16155 - Excavation Stage III 1994 - East Close, Bury St Edmunds

Two areas of excavation were run concurrently. Shakers Lane Excavation Area was an L-shaped excavation covering c. 400sqm, the majority of which was in a 28mx14m strip along the road frontage. The topsoil was stripped from the excavation area by a ditching bucket. No occupation layer was identified and the topsoil came down after c.0.4m onto an homogeneous brown loam c.0.16m thick containing few finds, thw whole area was machined down to subsoil. This revealed that the site was riddled with large pits cut into the chalk subsoil and filled with similar homogeneous brown loam. Hand dug sections were excavated across a sample of the pits, the boundary ditches and related features. Eastgate street Frontage excavation area was roughly rectangular covering c.260sqm running from the edge of the access road. The topsoil and approx 0.5m of build up was stripped, revealing the top of medieval occupation and indicating the continuation of the E-W wall line identified in 1991 (S1).