Monument record MDO19398 - 7-9 Millhams Street, Christchurch (site X4); post medieval structures and wall

Excavation at 7-9 Millhams Street, Christchurch, during 1971, revealed post medieval buildings but no conclusive evidence of earlier structures on the street frontage.

R A Hills directed an excavation at 7-9 Millhams Street Christchurch, during 1971 in advance of development. These excavations were subsequently published as a short note in DNHAS monograph 5 (1). Five trenches (A-E) were excavated in order to investigate the slope down to the millstream at the rear of the tenement. Also, following the demolition of part of a terrace of late 18th-19th century brick cottages, the Millhams Street frontage was investigated through Trench G. Only the SE side of this trench was excavated to natural, the remainder being abandoned due to time constraints. A number of Medieval pits and postholes suggest that the Eastern side of Christchurch was not occupied until the mid-C14th onwards. The lack of frontage on Millham's Street suggests Millham's Street was not extensively occupied until the later Post-Medieval period. Excavation across the line of the town defences failed to locate the wall line, but there was much evidence of wall debris following its destruction. The brick and stone walls and patches of floor levels excavated in Trench G show at least two periods of construction, consistent with the documentary evidence for the site. Two small cottages are shown on the frontage c. 1844 and buildings similar to those demolished in 1971 existed by 1886. the absence of earlier buildings in the small area of street frontage excavated suggests that this part of Millhams Street is not an early road and, indeed, is not recorded until the 16th century.

Record last edited

Feb 28 2024 11:42AM