Newham Museum Archaeology Project Archives
Newham Museum Service, 2000. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000328. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Newham Museum Service unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
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London Borough of Redbridge
Lynton House
255 - 259 High Road
Ilford, Essex
IG1 1NN
England
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 265
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000328
- How to cite using this DOI
Dagenham, 2-16 Church Street
[File last modified 17th March 1997]
Site Location TQ 5003 8458
The site lies at the centre of medieval Dagenham to the west of the parish church. It consisted of the road frontage along Church Street between Exeter Road to the east and Glebe Road to the west. The work extended to the back of the properties.
Reason for Excavation
In 1976 the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (the landowners) wished to create a 'medieval village green' on the site, which required the demolition of these semi-derelect properties. The easternmost building was a Grade II listed building which had recently suffered some fire damage, as a result of which DoE agreed to its demolition subject to prior recording of the structure and agreed to fund the subsequent excavation. The standing structure recording took place in early April and the excavation ran from 29th April to 21st June 1976. The work included a resistivity survey by the North East London Polytechnic.
The Standing Structure Record
This recording was done by Malcolm Holmes with PEM staff and volunteers.
The standing structures consisted of E to W :
- No 2/4. The 14th C building with a 17th C extension also had 19th and 20th C extensions to the rear. In the 19th C the western end of the house became part of the adjacent house linked by a passage at first floor level. The front elevation was brought forward on to the street in the 19th C.
- No 6/8. The second house, also timber-framed, was late 16th C. In the 18th C it was given a 'fashionable' brick frontage; however, this was not felt necessary for the side elevation which retained its weather-boarding. When the adjacent house was built it was butted up against the weather-boarded wall. which, when found, was covered in layers of wall-paper. In the 18th C a rectangular rear extension was added. In 19th C it was divided into two properties.
- No 10/12. This was built in the late 18th/early 19th C. In the 1880s it was extended by about a quarter of its width to form two properties.
- Nos 14 & 16. These houses were added to the block in the 1880s.
All the above had 19th and 20th C additions to the rear.
The Excavation
Unfortunately the medieval building had undergone considerable internal alteration, so that the only feature of significance remaining was the 15th C fireplace. The timber frame had been undercut and supported on brickwork in the 18th C and a cellar added beneath the 17th C extension in the 19th C. It would appear the original floor was levelled down in the course of these alterations.
As result of continuous redevelopment on the site, very few medieval pits were found. However, there are some groups of ceramics of 13th-early 14th C date.
Evidence for an original external staircase survived towards the back of the west wall. It consisted of three pairs of substantial postholes set in a rectangular trench at a right angle to the wall. This trench had later been infilled after removal of the posts and the area to the west of the house roughly gravelled.
On the western end of the infilled trench was set a circular brick plinth. Associated with this feature was a posthole immediately beside it, a substantial open hearth made up of charcoal and slag and a number of small pits containing similar material. This is probably dated to the 14th/15th C. It is suggested that this could be a wheelwright's workshop.
Above these features a structure was built with a brick floor. The floor sloped to a central line of bricks into which was set a circular stone with a central hole which appeared to have been used as a sump. The bricks in the rear wall showed considerable wear at the base of the slope indicating regular washing of the floor. There were also distinct wear marks on the floor. A large meat hook found in the deposit on the floor suggest it might have been a butcher's shop. The floor probably dates to the late 15th/early 16th C.
In the later 16th C the previous use ended and a house No 6/8 was built on the site of the 'shop'. The depth of the structure was much as the earlier building but extended further west along the frontage. Substantial postholes to the rear formed the main structural supports for the 18th C rectangular extension. To the west the land remained open until the late 18th/ early 19th century. The only notable feature was a drain/gully running N-S from the road frontage containing 18th ceramics.
The excavation did not extend beyond this point as the Victorian houses had created considerable disturbance.
It is interesting to note that a number of features recorded in the standing structures were no longer evident after demolition, despite the fact that there was little levelling done. In particular, the substantial 16th C fireplace in No 6/8 left no trace in the ground.
Resistivity Survey
This survey traced no archaeological features. However, it did record a palaeo-channel running N-S across the site.
Finds
No analytical work has been done on the finds. Where dates are quoted they rely on work by Mark Redknap done in 1984 for display purposes.
