Newham Museum Archaeology Project Archives
Newham Museum Service, 2000. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000328. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 265
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000328
- How to cite using this DOI
Abbey Road Watching Brief (BA-73)
[File last modified 17th March 1997]
Site Location TQ 440 838
The site ran the full length of Abbey Road cutting both the eastern pavement and part of the roadway itself.
Reason for Excavation
Thames Water Authority cut a trench to lay a new water main along Abbey Road. The cutting to the south of the Abbey remains was observed by Julian Litten of the Victoria and Albert Museum on 29th September 1972. He produced a report (dated February 1973) mainly dealing with the pottery he observed but recording no archaeological features. He also noted portions of two human crania. He then reported his findings to the Passmore Edwards Museum and the work on the western half of the trench was observed by Patricia Wilkinson. This watching brief was funded by the Museum.
The Excavation
As no prior agreement had been made with the contractors, the recording work was mostly undertaken after the trenches were cut and before the sheeting was inserted. This initial cutting went through a considerable deposit of loose sand, so the unshored edges collapsed quickly and it was not possible to go down into the trench nor to stand too near to the edge. Therefore it must be noted that the measurements taken are not precise. There were also portions which were not observed. In the area where the rere-dorter was located, it was possible to work in the trench, so the records of this portion are correct.
The northern end of the work was tunnelled,so the observations began some 80 metres south of the Abbey Road/London Road junction.The cutting revealed chalk wall lines running east-west, and two pits but there was considerable damage from tree pits. The records for this part of the trench should be compared to the 1988 work BA-AR immediately to the east.
The part of the trench by the Abbey ruins revealed the rere-dorter at the point where it leaves the claustral buildings and Abbey Church and runs south-west towards the River Roding. The walls, set into a construction trench, extended approximately two metres into the ground, were approximately half a metre thick with an internal separation of approximately one-and-a-half to two metres. The walls were constructed of randomly coursed blocks of ragstone, greensandstone, flint, chalk and some Roman tile. There was much demolition debris but it must be born in mind that Clapham's 1910 excavation recorded this structure, so there will have been modern disturbance down to the top of the remaining walls. However, the fill of the construction trench and of the rere-dorter itself had not been investigated.
According to Clapham, the roof of the structure was destroyed but had been barrel vaulted and constructed of much the same type of materials as the walls, as evidenced by the remnants of sprung arching ,which still remained upstanding on the walls. None of this survived in the area examined in 1973.
Clapham records that during the land clearance for the construction of the Abbey Road a steam shovel fell into the rere-dorter and it is tempting to speculate that this was the point at which the accident occurred.
