Between the 17th and 20th May 2016 Oxford Archaeology East carried out an archaeological evaluation at Lower Brook Street, Ipswich Suffolk. Two test pits were located within an area currently used as a car park to provide information regarding the potential survival and character of any archaeological remains that may survive here. Test pit 1 found a 19th century cellar with and in-situ asphalt floor located at a depth of 2.3m, the cellar had been subsequently backfilled with layers of brick and concrete rubble in the 1960s.

Test pit 2 uncovered natural sands and gravels at a depth of 2.3m below ground level. Above the natural was a two metre deep sequence of soil layers, probably resulting from dumping and cultivation from the late medieval period to the early 19th century. The soils contained pottery and tile ranging from the medieval to the early post medieval period in date. Animal bones, oyster shells and charred seeds were found as well as a small number of human bone fragments.

Evidence for one or more possible garden structures of post medieval date was found. A 19th century brick wall is probably the remains of one of the industrial buildings that occupied the site during the 19th and 20th centuries, (S1).

2018: Excavation revealed extensive remains of Late Anglo-Saxon and early medieval (pre-Norman) date (Fig. 177), including ditches which may have formed property boundaries. Features found within the properties included shallow flat-based pits reminiscent of tanks, as well as a possible sunken featured building and post-holes belonging to other structures such as fences and sheds. Waterlogging at the base of the features had preserved materials such as small scraps of textile including woollen cloth, possibly sacking, and the bases of timber posts. Other material remains included animal and fish bones. One tank contained a large quantity of oyster shells and it is suggested that the tank was used for keeping oysters fresh. Large amounts of pottery and other artefacts were also recovered; items of note include a fragment of a worked bone ice skate, a large bone needle, a whetstone and a cogwheel-type brooch.
Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2018. (S2)

Full excavation report to follow