Our excavation at the former public house continues with new walls, floors and other features coming to light at every dig session. Despite the complexity of 300 years of extensions and alterations the history of the building is slowly becoming clearer.
It appears that there were originally two cottages at this location probably built in the late 1600s or early 1700s and mostly unaltered until the first half of the 19th century, when they were partially demolished and absorbed into the new inn and farm.
As the century progressed the inn expanded and new farm buildings were built around it. Later in the century some of the outbuildings were demolished as the inn and domestic side expanded. The early 20th century saw a little more building as the inn became solely a farmhouse until the 1960s, that decade of upheaval, when it was finally demolished.
Our work at the site continues and no doubt our theories will be modified as new discoveries are made and the history of this fascinating site becomes clearer still.
Here are a few of the myriad features we've uncovered to date.
Part of the cobbled farmyard:
The brick floor of a c1700 cottage overlaid by a later brick floor:
An inglenook fireplace which contained dateable pottery and clay pipes:
Floors of an early utility building overlaid by various concrete footings:
