Tobacco Dock, 130-162 The Highway
TQ 3475 8070; (Alistair Douglas); excavation; 4 March - 31 April 2002; TOC02
A single excavation trench was investigated at the site. Natural sandy gravels were observed at between 6.27m OD and 2.83m OD.
Natural Terrace gravels capped with brickearth were recorded at the site sloping from N-S towards the River Thames. Pottery recovered from the peat suggested the land might still have been marsh in the Early Roman Period.
In the southern part of the trench the remains of a Roman building was defined by beam slots, postholes, masonry wall foundations and beaten earth floors. A poorly preserved timber, which may have been part of a sill beam for the building, was recorded in the SE corner of the Trench. The building appears to have been built on land that had been deliberately consolidated with compacted sandy gravel c. 0.10m thick. Pottery recovered from these features may suggest a late-Roman date for the structure. The building was covered by deposits that contained quantities of demolition material that may have derived from the building itself or from other buildings in the vicinity. Sand and gravel overlay these demolition deposits.
In the SW corner of the Trench a square timber lined well in a good state of preservation was excavated. The fill of the well contained a large ceramic assemblage and a copper alloy bowl. The fill of the construction cut also produced pottery that may be able to date both the construction and disuse of the well. What may have been the remains of a second timber lined well were excavated on the E side of the Trench but here the timber was badly decayed.
In the NE corner of the site a substantial butt ended ditch was excavated. The ditch was aligned E-W with its base sloping to the E. The ditch was re-cut on at least two separate occasions. In its later phases the sides of the ditch were revetted with timber posts and horizontal planking. Although the timber planking survived only as staining, most of the post tips had been well preserved.
On the eastern side of the Trench a sunken timber structure, perhaps a tank, was excavated. Unfortunately this structure continued to the E beyond the limits of the Trench. Here two timber posts lined the pit and most of the post tips had survived and were retrieved. This structure may have been contemporary with a N-S drain, characterised by a timber box construction technique. It may be that this drain represented a gravity fed water conduit. The conduit could have supplied drains of similar construction recorded in the SE corner of the Trench. The N-S drain truncated an earlier E-W aligned ditch.
In the S central part of the Trench a small sunken rectangular masonry structure was revealed. The base was laid with three Roman bricks/tiles. It may be this structure represented a cist (burial chamber) that could have held a cremation. The cist may have been partly destroyed in antiquity and its contents emptied. Immediately to the S of the cist a whole pot, that appeared to have been deliberately placed in the ground, was unearthed. The pot possibly contains cremation remains.
A "dark earth" type deposit, approximately 1m thick, overlay the Roman deposits. The formation of this soil may have begun with the abandonment of the site at the end of the Roman period but continued well into the post Medieval period when the land may have been used for gardening. The southern part of the Trench revealed garden-soil from the Early post-Medieval. Pitting that truncated the garden soil, may represent the disposal of domestic waste and / or horticultural features dating from the late 16th / early 17th centuries.
The earliest post-Medieval masonry buildings recorded were located in the SE and SW corners of the Trench and may have been built in the 17th century. These remains probably represent two separate buildings, which would have fronted onto Pennington Street. Both buildings (with modification) continued in use until at least the 18th century. The building in the SE corner was characterised by a fireplace, which had been altered in the 18th century by internal brick drains.
In the space between the two buildings, numerous rubbish pits, brick lined cesspits, barrel lined wells, brick lined wells and a chalk and brick lined well were recorded. These features were deliberately infilled in the 18th and / or early 19th centuries. Some of the space also appeared to have been covered by compacted sand and gravel possibly indicating a metalled surface perhaps a yard or alley.
On the E side of the trench a large sunken square timber lined pit was recorded. The purpose for this structure is uncertain but it may have been a tank for some industrial process. This tank was deliberately infilled probably during the 18th century.
On the E side of the Trench the partial remains of cellared building was recorded that dated to at the 19th century. The floor of the building was covered with flagstones and bricks.
A late 19th century brick built sewer was recorded in the SE corner of the trench that flowed E and continued beyond the limits of the excavation. A sewer was also recorded in the N of the trench. This flowed to the N and continued beyond the edge of the Trench.
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