After almost three months work at the former inn, our initial objective, to discover its outline and the position of its internal walls is nearing completion. As a result we're now moving from the exploratory to investigation phase, when the archaeology proper begins!
Our first target is the well defined ash-pit and what remains of its adjoining privy at the rear of the premises. Post 1870 widening of the gap between the pub and the farm buildings involved demolition of some old parts of the domestic side of the inn and construction of a new boundary wall which also extended the ash-pit. This explains the unusual shape of the ash-pit, shown in this photo:
What remains of the privy is at bottom right. Its walls and the east wall of the ash pit are all angled slightly west of north whereas the new wall at the top and the west wall are set at a different angle.
On-going excavation of the ash pit fill (below the demolition rubble, which has been removed) is starting to yield some interesting results.
A photogrammetry model of work in progress can be viewed here. It shows how the extended ash-pit has a sloping floor (or deposit?) of sand and pebble. Whether we will find a 'proper' brick floor below remains to be seen.