EDO7515 - White Mill, Shapwick; observations and recording 1989

Observations during excavation of three foundation inspection trenches during repairs to the building. Two of the trenches were excavated against external walls and revealed nothing of note. The third trench 2.1 m by 0.6 m was excavated against a wall on the south-west side of the mill house which appeared to be a survival from an earlier outbuilding (as it was the only wall constructed of heathstone) and once to have been an exterior wall. Excavations revealed a brick floor on sand with creamware and other pottery dated to 1780-1800. Below this was a narrow brick wall abutting the main wall at right angles and cutting a cobbled yard on a layer of clay and chalk. Pottery from this last layer indicated an early 18th-century date. Below this were layers of late 17th to early 18th century date, and a layer containing fragments of abraded 16th - 17th century pottery, which seemed to have been deposited to level the site.