Site Event/Activity record ECC4518 - Archaeological monitoring and historic building record at Rebow House, 58-62 Head Street, Colchester, 2019-2020

Location

Location Rebow House, 58-62 Head Street, Colchester, CO1 1PB
Grid reference Centred TL 9942 2501 (21m by 22m)
Map sheet TL92NE
County ESSEX
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Technique(s)

Organisation

Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd

Date

October 2019 – February 2020

Map

Description

Archaeological monitoring of groundworks was carried out by Colchester Archaeological Trust in 2019 and 2020 during refurbishment (including replacement of mid 19th to 20th century rear extensions).<1> As part of the redevelopment project, the mid 19th- to late 20th-century extensions to the rear of Rebow House were demolished. An area c.9.5m east/west x 7.6m north/south was subsequently reduced by 0.4m to formation level for the insertion of a raft (to minimise the extent of groundworks and, therefore, the impact on buried archaeological remains) for the new extension. This meant that although a number of archaeological contexts were exposed by the ground reduction, they were not excavated but recorded and left in situ. Deeper investigations only took place in concrete sleeper pits 1-5 (3m long x 0.7- 0.8m wide) and a service trench (17.4m long x 0.9m wide) which were excavated to 0.5m and 0.2m below formation height respectively. The work revealed evidence for three separate phases: Phase 1: Activity on the development site predating Rebow House, probably dating from the later medieval to early post-medieval period and including a well and wall foundations. As little to no excavation occurred within the raft reduction area, assigning contexts to this period was difficult and interpretation limited as few of the contexts could be dated. A stone foundation (F25) was defined, c.0.3m wide and made of septaria fragments in an off-white/pale grey mortar with horizontal peg-tile fragments visible in the upper surfaces. Along the southern edge of the site, the foundation for standing wall F29 had been constructed on top of levelling layer L49, beneath which was a layer or layers of probable accumulation. Cut into this accumulation, and sealed by L49, were two possible wall foundations (F32 and F33) and a clay-lined pit (F31). Little had survived of either foundation, but they both appeared to be aligned north/south with F32 constructed of red and yellow bricks (a brick sample was dated from the late 17th to the early 18th century) in a pale grey mortar and F33 of pieces of septaria in a yellowish-white soft mortar. Clay-lined pit F31, 0.6m in diameter, appeared to be relatively straight-sided with a lining of orange/brown clay and a central fill of fine pale grey ash with frequent charcoal. A well (F84) was defined in the northwestern corner of the raft reduction area. The well was only breached by a small hole through the well cap (a domed structure/cap (F13) made of brick/tile and concrete) during groundworks, so recording was limited. However, it was approximately 1.4m in diameter and, measured from the floor of the room, was 9.55m deep. It appeared to be constructed in courses of septaria and stone blocks along with brick and tile set into mortar. The well was adjacent to the cellar wall (F85) but the relationship between the two could not be established. However, walls F6/F7 and F42 (relating to Rebow House) were constructed over the top of the well, which at least demonstrates that the well predates Rebow House. At the base of sleeper pits 1-3, beneath the various layers of make-up/levelling, there was a possible layer of metalling (L20) sealed by an occupation layer (L21), but neither could be properly investigated. Also, beneath the layers of make-up/levelling in sleeper pit 5, there was a possible wall foundation F22, sealed by layers of demolition L36/L37. The foundation, 0.3m wide, appeared to have been orientated northeast/southwest and had been faced on the southeastern side with mortared septaria blocks (it was not possible to examine the northwestern side). In places, a single or double layer of mortared peg-tile fragments was also visible on the top of the feature. Adjacent the foundation, there were two horizontal peg-tiles on a loose sandy/mortared bed (F23) and a single layer of septaria also on bed of mortar (F24), both of which could be associated structural features. A possible occupation layer (L35) at the base of the sleeper pit could also be associated with features F22-F24. At the eastern end of a service trench in the access road, a short section of wall foundation (F68) was defined, aligned north/south and made of peg-tile fragments and septaria pieces set in soft yellow/cream/brown mortar. The wall foundation had been cut by the north wall of Rebow House (F69) so predates this building. Phase 2: Late 17th- to early 18th-century brick-built drainage features (including drains and soakways) and other wall foundations contemporary with Rebow House and probably located within a rear yard. Phase 3: Mid 19th- to 20th-century extensions to the rear of Rebow House. Building works inside Rebow House also provided opportunity for recording of the medieval cellar beneath the front (west) part of the building. In particular, the lifting of the floorboards in the room above the southern bay of the cellar and the removal of modern elements within the cellar itself, including plasterboard from the walls and cement block-work divisions, allowed a closer examination of the cellar’s fabric than had previously been possible. The walls of the cellar are constructed of lime mortar and flint-rubble, and are covered in a thin layer of lime whitewash. Other materials, including pegtiles, may indicate areas of repair. Several sections of the west wall have been partially removed and heavily altered due to the insertion of brick-lined access chutes that would have originally projected to the street frontage. Although the later additions to the cellar, these chutes seem to have several phases (based on the brickwork). Some appear to be largely constructed of 17th-century bricks, while others seem to be the result of later 19th- or 20th-century alterations. The chutes all lie below the 18th-century frontage and do not project outside the building’s current footprint, i.e. the chutes must have been added to the cellar sometime before the construction of this frontage. The cellar is 2.76m deep and its main section comprises five bays, each 2.8m wide (numbered 1-5 from S to N). The truss between each of these bays originally comprised a substantial binding-beam (dendro-dated to the late 14th century; see <2>) supported on equally substantial arched-braces sitting on corbels built into the wall of the cellar. The surviving original binding-beams are all identical; 400mm x 400mm in size and with concave chamfers, and the arched-braces are all 230mm thick. The lack of tenons on the sides of the surviving binding-beams suggests a remarkably early origin for the cellar and the medieval building above it. Bay 3 and 5 both contain substantial brick-arches that serve as the foundations for the chimneys of the 17th-century house above (although the northern chimney is no longer extant). The brickwork of both arches is laid in an irregular English-bond and the brick measurements vary from 200-220mm x 90-100mm x 45-50mm. Both the arches have been subsequently altered, with later brickwork and doorways added to create storage areas. As well as the main five-bay section of the cellar there is a separate smaller room (bay 6), measuring 5.1m long x 2.7m wide, that projects off the eastern side of bays 4 and 5. Although the positioning of this bay could suggest that it is a later addition to the cellar, the southern and eastern walls of this room are constructed in an identical fashion to the walls of the cellar proper; using lime mortar and flint-rubble. The access into this bay is through an inserted entrance-way on its western side that is in the exact location the eastern corbel of the truss between bays 4 and 5 would have been located. The west wall of this bay contains a large amount of 17th-century brickwork within another alcove, with little remaining of the original fabric of mortar and flint-rubble. The brickwork within this alcove has evidence of burning, and probably is the location of an oven, cooking-range or similar feature. There is also evidence (a section of brickwork) to indicate the presence of a blocked entranceway, perhaps indicating that originally the cellar extended even further to the east. As little excavation occurred, the finds recovered from the monitoring project were small in number and limited in extent (167 sherds of pottery and ceramic building material, weighing just under 32kg).

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> EXCAV REPORT: Pooley Laura and Baister, Mark. 2020. Archaeological monitoring and a historic building record of the medieval cellar at Rebow House, 58-62 Head Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1PB. CAT Report 1530.
  • <2> Historic Building Recording: Bridge, Martin. 2016. The Dendrochronological Dating of Timbers from the Cellars, Rebow House, 58-62 Head Street, Colchester, Essex. Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory Report 2016/27.

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

  • 58 to 62 Head Street (Rebow House), Colchester (Building)
  • 60 Head Street, Colchester (Building)

Record last edited

Jun 10 2020 10:03AM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.