Excavations at the Site of a medieval Hall-house at North Cray

EXCAVATIONS AT THE SITE OF A MEDIEVAL HALL-HOUSE AT NORTH CRAY D. T. JONES, B.A., Dip. Arch. INTRODUCTION In Arch. Cant., lxxxvii (1972), 9-14, Mr. P. J. Tester published a detailed description of a medieval hall-house at North Cray which was removed in the interests of road widening in 1968. The following report summarizes the result of an excavation subsequently undertaken by the present writer on the site of this house which was known locally as 'Woodbine Cottage'. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The work was undertaken with the kind permission of the London Borough of Bexley. I am most grateful for the· continuous advice and assistance from Mr. P. J. Tester, and to Miss P. V. Clarke and Mr. S. E. R. Rigold, of the Department of the Environment, for their examination and description of the early pottery. Mr. C. Blair, of the Victoria and Albert Museum, most kindly examined and discussed the metalwork. This assistance is most willingly acknowledged as is the support and hard work of the excavation team. SCOPE OF THE EXCAVATION The foundations of Woodbine Cottage were examined, except for an area close to the road. The ground within the existing boundaries of the site to the north and south of the house was investigated and showed evidence of occupation. The area to the east of the house showed only modern garden disturbance. The work was limited by the time available before the development of the site, and considerable difficulty was caused by frequent fly-tipping of rubble, soil and rubbish on the site. 187 00 00 WOODBINE COTTAGE Gli!0UNl> PLAN AT G' l!>f:LC)W MOL>.E.RN SWZ,f/\CE. l=/􀀈l¼C. l'E.S&.f fOO'!"IN(;S -li1toC h.lNTS IN MOR.TI\􀁛 fllioC.1AnP FI-IKT :s<:􀁜TTEP- mII1III]191nC !IIU