The hot and dry summer of 2018 revealed evidence of previously unknown archaeology across Britain. One such set of 'parch marks' appeared near the crossroads in the middle of Albrighton, Shropshire. These marks and our geophysics survey of the site, suggested a series of pillars and walls which might have been part of the old market hall, pulled down in the early 1800s.
Parch marks visible in the summer of 2018
Over three days in July, with the help of the Albrighton &
District Historical Society, we set about digging a series of test pits.
On the first day we played host to children from the local primary
school who had great fun sieving and cleaning finds and learning about
archaeology and history. Over the following two days we were visited by
dozens of villagers who were fascinated to see the Society's display and
talk to their knowledgeable chairman John Stretton. Many of the
children who visited on the first day were so enthralled that they came
again on the following days to see what else had been discovered.
We
dug three test pits and made interesting discoveries in each. A
compacted clay floor and traces of a probable column support were
uncovered but the most significant archaeology was discovered in pit #3.
After uncovering the remains of a wall foundation, we were thrilled to
find a spectacular cobbled surface. This may have been a yard or path
associated with the market hall or even part of the old village street,
which was part of the Wolverhampton to Holyhead coach road.
A small sondage in the south-west corner of the pit seemed to show that the cobbles had been laid on smaller stone set in clay.
The fantastic cobbled surface uncovered at Albrighton
Finds included pottery sherds and fragments of roof or floor tile from the Medieval era, a Georgian coin, various pieces of glass, pipe stems, a chalk-board stylus (the building was at some point used as a school) and a few pre-industrial era buttons.
A report with photographs can be found on the website of the Shropshire Star and on Albrighton & District Historical Society's Facebook page.