Event/Activity EPM103 - Archaeological Watching Brief at 84 High Street, Portsmouth

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Southampton Archaeology Unit at 84 High Street on the 11th June 2010. The aim of the fieldwork was to record the structural remains of a house which previously occupied the site, and oversee the partial removal of a brick arch belonging to a vault. The remains had been exposed during repaving works on the site, and consisted of a section of a red brick wall belonging to the frontage of No 84 High Street, a vaulted red brick struture (full extend not exposed), and a red brick sleeper wall on top of the vault. It was concluded that the brick vault probably covered a coal hole which lay beneath the pavement on the High Street. It is likely that the opening of the structure lay further out under the pavement, and has been removed by modern services which traverse the area. The date of the structure was not determined, but the thickness of the bricks used in its construction, and the presence of blue header bricks, would suggest an 18th century date. In order to create a safe and level footway, it was necessary to remove the central section of the arch belonging to the vault after it had been recorded, so that its fill could be compacted and backfilled. Museum Accession No: 2010/439