Trinity Street

December 1936

EXCAVATIONS IN TRINITY STREET

Excavations have been going on in Trinity Street slowly, and sewers have been laid at a depth of 14 feet at the Ironmonger Row end. The crypt has been cut through, and the hard mortar, possibly Roman cement, and much harder than the stone, gave them a heavy task to remove. Little more save another tile of 15th cent. inside the crypt and one piece of 13th cent. tile and a few pieces of 14th cent. pottery were found close by. The top side of the crypt was found to be virgin soil and stone Within about 10 yards at the bottom side of the crypt a rubbish heap was found to a depth of 9 feet and some very fine specimens of boot soles of 13-14th cent. were found, in fact some of the best ever discovered. Other things were dross from a smelting furnace, and with it pieces of charcoal, and coal (Coal was mined close by as early as the 13th cent.) Also part of a wooden spoon, or at least a wooden implement to take place of a spoon; a link from a chain, not oval as our links, but flat and strong. Another 20 yards further down some foundations of heavy masonry were found at a depth of about 6 feet. These foundations converged together at that spot, and being at the back of the Guest House stables, may have been a boundary wall. New Buildings was the site on which the domestic buildings stood, and I will give a list of these now. They were as follows - The Larder, Kitchen, Porter's lodge, Stables and yard, Outer court, Malthouse, Kilnhouse, Slaughterhouse, Wood house, Well yard, Guests' house, two pools within the Priory Wall, Poolyard, St. Osburg's pool; Priory mill and Orchards. Other buildings also stood there as you will remember the finding of a stone fish pond and a cattle shed at a depth of 11 feet, 6 inches. On November 16th, while digging near the corner of the Bull Ring on the East side an archway of stone was found with other flat stones on the top. This arch only extended about 2ft. inward and 4ft. 6ins. in width. It had been filled in about 14-15th cent. and only part of this has been excavated up to the present. Its contents were clay, lime, charcoal and coal, with a number of jugs of very poor material. Two of these were intact and possibly more were so, but were broken on being got out; about seven were found, and although it was an unlikely place to burn pottery, it rather suggests this, or otherwise they had been brought and dumped there from a pottery kiln. More may be revealed later.