Site Event/Activity record ESF22976 - Excavation, Land of Risbygate Street and Nelson Road, Bury St Edmunds

An archaeological excavation was carried out in advance of planned development of a site at the junction of Nelson Street and Risbygate Street in Bury St Edmunds in November-December 2012. A previous phase of evaluation had identified remains of medieval, post-medieval and early modern activity surviving underneath the current carpark surface at relatively shallow depths. Open area excavation within the site was undertaken over Nov-Dec 2012 commencing with the removal and disposal offsite of the tarmac and red-brick demolition rubble layers present across the site. Significant modern intrusive features were noted along the northern edge of the excavation area. The excavation revealed a large number of wells, both medieval and post-medieval in date, as well as apparent structural remains (post-hole alignments and possible beam slots) of early/high medieval date likely to relate to outbuildings to the rear of properties adjacent to Risbygate Street (a significant entry/exit point for the medieval town). Several large shafts were also encountered, similar to those noted elsewhere in Bury St Edmunds in other excavations. The area to the south under the present Arc car park was reported on in 2004 by SCCAS. The finds and environmental evidence recovered suggests that the site has a limited potential for further analysis and research on its own, but as a dataset has the potential to contribute to the knowledge of the development and growth of an important medieval suburb of Bury St Edmunds (S1).