Monument record WSW 076 - New Museum Building, West Stow Anglo Saxon Village

2007: Evaluation revealed a buried occupation soil, post holes and possible pits were identified (S1).
2010: Excavation identified five sunken featured type. The largest of the pits measured 5.4m x 3.5m and was in excess of 0.7m deep. Postholes for the timber superstructure that would have supported the building and roof were found at the base of the pits. Three variations of ground plan were found with six, two and no posts.
Once the buildings had been abandoned and demolished the pits were infilled with domestic rubbish. Finds from these deposits consisted of sheep, pig and cattle bones, and over 500 sherds of pottery. Burnt daub from the structure of the huts themselves and hazel nuts were also found. Other items included spindle whorls, loom weights, pin beaters and a bone needle indicating that cloth was being manufactured on the site, as well as and personal objects such as fragments of a three bone combs and a brooch.
In addition to the sunken feature buildings, evidence for a second type of building constructed around closely spaced posts was also found.
An earlier phase of occupation, probably prehistoric, has been identified and this is represented by dispersed small pits and post holes, and a north-south ditch that parallels similarly dated ditches recorded during the building of the adjacent Visitors-Centre and café. Finds from these deposits included struck flint flakes and burnt flint (S2).