The Focus Site, Mill Street, Leominster
Plans
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The
location of the Focus site is to the north of the priory.
Another major site in Leominster
was at
Castle Moat
to the south of the town centre.
This site may have been
a grange of the priory, possibly specialising in fish
production.
Interestingly, occupation at
Castle Moat began when occupation at the Focus site ended.
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Phase 3
A ditch (200) running north-south
across the northern part of the site, cut into the alluvium
(phase 2), is thought to be the earliest feature. It was cut by
a later ditch at its southern end, and the northern end curved
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A timber baulk (91) composed of
one large piece of oak and two smaller timbers was discovered
lying north-east to south-west in trench L, at the northern
extremity of the site. The north-east end
stopped at slag layer
80 (see below). The south-west end
probably originally extended further than as found, decayed. The
feature was about 0.55metres wide and 1.6metres long, and
has been interpreted as a revetment for a water-course (perhaps
associated with an earlier course of the river). Samples were
taken and have been assessed by Nigel Nailing of Lampeter
University. The samples will now be analysed for species type,
and one sample maybe suitable for dendrochronology dating.
An apparently industrial feature
(80) consisted of a thick layer of slag and charcoal, measuring
at least 1.2 metres by 3.0 metres. The surface of the lower part
of this deposit had traces of many horizontal timbers and
branches, very decayed, lying parallel and roughly in line with
the timber revetment (91). Assessment of samples from this
deposit has provided information about the type of industry
which took place here during the Romano-British period. |
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Phase 5a
A fairly crude sandstone wall (95)
with large stones forming its eastern (and possibly external)
edge, and smaller stones forming its western edge, was excavated
running north-south across the western part of the site. The
wall is thought to date to the early medieval period, and
probably formed the foundations of a timber-framed building. A
rectangular, stone-lined post hole (104), with four upright
stones resting on one stone laid flat as a post-pad, was found
associated with wall
95. The post hole measured 150 x 150mm, and
was 400mm deep; it probably supported a substantial timber.
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A single broken
flagstone (130) was uncovered immediately adjacent to, and to
the east of, wall
95. The position of this flat slab suggests
that it was part of a more extensive surface, associated with
the building represented by wall
95. Layer of mid-brown clay
(99) to the west of wall
95 was probably a clay floor also
associated with this building, as was the tightly packed and
worn gravel surface
325.
Two pits (266
and 304) were found cut into the alluvium (phase 4), both of
which predate the wall and associated features.
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Phase 5b
A stone wall
(103) was discovered running south towards the southern edge of
the main excavation. The wall was 0.85 metres wide, with a
length of 1.75 metres protruding northward from its baulk, and
survived to a height of 0.9 metres. The wall contained some
reused medieval worked stone. This feature represents a
second, more substantial building which probably fell into ruin
around the end of the 14th century. The large
quantity of medieval glazed ceramic roof tile found associated
with wall
103 suggests a very high status building, almost
certainly connected with the Priory. Most of the wall had been
robbed sometime after its collapse. The robber trench (50) cut
through wall
95, which therefore predates wall
103. |
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Ditch
164 was cut right up to wall
103 and was therefore later than the building. The southern butt
end (187) was angular in plan and, unlike almost every other
ditch excavated on the site, not rounded. Loose packing of the
lower fills of
187 is strongly indicative of rapid, deliberate
backfilling. This section of the ditch ran parallel to the
robber trench (50), a further indication that it was dug after
the building of wall
103. The northern end (160) of ditch
164
had steep sides and a rounded base that curved slightly to the
west to join ditch
48.
A V-shaped ditch (48) running
east-west joined ditch 164 at 90°. A piece of wood (185) lying
at the junction between these two ditches indicates that they
were open at the same time. The fill of ditch
48 was waterlogged
and a section of wattle fencing (138) was found well preserved
in the base of the ditch. The sharpened posts had been driven
into the ground at approximately 0.35 metre intervals, and
wattle strips were woven between these. Another line of posts
(275) was discovered running parallel to fence
138 along the
northern edge of the ditch.
Further to the east another ditch
(170) was discovered running east-west. Although this was in
line with
48 it is unclear whether this was part of the same
ditch. The western section of
170 (237) was cut by a later ditch
(129).
Two ditches (192 and
149) were
excavated running parallel in the area between ditches
48 and
170. A smaller ditch (210) appeared to connect the two. There
were two rows of stakes in the base of ditch
192, one along the
northern edge (186) and one along the southern edge (157). These
had been driven into the ‘natural’ layer in the base of the
ditch. Two circular post holes (179 and
288) were also found in
this ditch, which were wider and deeper than the other post
holes in the immediate area. These may have been part of a
building or platform, rather than a fence as the others appear
to be.
The condition of the timbers
discovered in these ditches suggests that the ditches contained
water and remained open for some time. It is unclear exactly
what purpose the fences served, but they may have been part of a
system to control water channels.
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Phase 5c
A linear stone and tile structure
(158) running north-south across the site appears to have been
some sort of raised track way, perhaps providing a route across
water-logged ground. The structure seems to lead towards, and
broadens out at, the building represented by wall
103, and may
therefore be connected with it.
A long narrow channel (324)
running north-south across the site was parallel to, and just
west of the track way (158).
It sloped gently down towards the
north. Ditch segment
337 is also contemporary, running east-west
and joining ditch
324 at right angles. The southern end,
190,
met the southern end of ditch
210, which continued its alignment
northwards, although at a deeper level, into ditch
129.
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This may originally have been the
same ditch as
210 and
129. The southern part of this was perhaps
deepened and turned westward as ditch
192. If this is the case
the ditch may have been a drainage ditch along the entire length
of track
158.
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Plan of the
phase 5b wattle fence |
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The trackway on the Focus site (marked red) appeared to lead
towards the priory.
The yellow circular feature was located by
use of ground penetrating radar (GPR). It had originally been interpreted as a
late Anglo-Saxon rotunda of the type that was built at Bury St
Edmunds by Cnut or that at St Augustine's Abbey at Canterbury.
The ground
penetrating radar survey was conducted by
Stratascan Ltd
on behalf of the Friends of Leominster Priory. This was part of
'Operation Leofric' which had three distinct elements. The other
two were a play about the foundation of the priory and two books
- one by Joe Hillaby about the Saxon minster and post-conquest
priory and the other, by Eric Turton, about the priory's
restoration by George Gilbert Scott.
The work was
funded after an application through the
Countryside Agency to
the Heritage Lottery Fund and the
Nationwide Building Society.
Unfortunately the circular
feature was not the base of rotunda, but the excavation,
conducted by the Museum of
London Archaeology Service, recovered material dating to
the 7th century.
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In Summer 2005 the site of the presumed
rotunda was excavated by a team led by archaeologists from the
Museum of London. The
rotunda was not found and the GPR anomaly was reinterpreted, in
the light of aerial photographs from the early 1960s, as a
circular flower-bed. |
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Reporting
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Unpublished Interim Report
– Mill Street, Leominster,
Herefordshire: an interim report on an
archaeological evaluation - Huw
Sherlock, 2001
Unpublished post-excavation statement
- Mill
Street Leominster, Herefordshire:
an
archaeological pre-assessment statement relating to the
excavations conducted on behalf of F H Dale Ltd -
Clementine Lovell, 2004 Clem Lovell
industry |
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