Archeologists unearth 900-year-old artefacts

ARTEFACTS estimated to be 900 years old have been discovered in Bury St Edmunds and could shed light on the town’s many medieval industries.

A team of archeologists has unearthed the remains of medieval ovens and lime putty barrels on a building site on Peckham Street, Bury, which indicate the area was used to create mortar, plaster and putty used in building work.

Cow, goat and sheep horn cores have also been found, showing that at a later date, the site may have been used as a tannery.

Archaeologists have been digging at the site for the past four weeks unearthing artefacts that give us a glimpse of life in medieval times.

The team were called in to work on the site by Cocksedge Building Contractors, who plan to develop the plot with nine three-bedroom town houses.

David Gill, project officer for Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, said the excavation was like digging through layers of history.

He said: “We have found all sorts of artefacts ranging from the 12th to the 16th century.

“In this area there are signs of several different industries over several different periods.

“We are finding artefacts and features that we haven’t seen in the town before.

“We have uncovered a series of ovens which act as driers for mortar and clay.

“There must have been mortar and plaster made for the town for it to have been built, but we haven’t found where they have done the activities to make them before.

“It is fascinating and very exciting – there is literally layer upon layer of history on this site.”

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