Monument record BSE 288 - Land behind 42 Churchgate Street

2009: Monitoring revealed stratified archaeological deposits that extended to a depth of c.1.4m below the modern ground level. The layers represented accumulated soils and features spanning from the medieval to the modern periods. Following the monitoring, a small trench was excavated as part of an adjustment to the original works. Pits, cess-pits, postholes, layers and surfaces were recorded, providing a limited glimpse into the changing uses of the yard area behind the street. Further, the site is located on one of the main axes of the planned grid of the Anglo-Norman town of Bury St Edmunds. Although it has not been possible to provide secure dates for the earliest features, they are sealed by 12th-14th century layers and it is therefore probable that the pits recorded relate to the earliest use of the urban plots in this part of town, or earlier activity. The small size of the site prevents further comment on the nature of this activity, but the results highlight the fact that archaeological evidence for the origins and development of the town lies buried over a metre deep in backyard plots, and they also contribute to our overall appreciation of the nature of surviving deposits and material in this town. A carved stone head which shows traces of paint was retrieved by the contractors during work on this property. It was presumably removed from the abbey after the Dissolution (S1).