Monument MPM1391 - Early Modern/Modern Features, New Theatre Royal

A series of early modern/modern features and layers, recorded during a watching brief at the New Theatre Royal site in 2013. The features included pits, limestone and diorite block surfaces, and foundations thought to belong to an earlier phase of the theatre complex. Finds recovered from the early modern features and a post-medieval pit also found on the site (MPM1390) indicate activity from the late-medieval or Tudor period onwards.

A series of early modern/modern features and layers recorded during a watching brief on ground works for an extension to the New Theatre Royal in 2013 (see below for details). These mainly comprised seven pits, surfaces of Purbeck limestone blocks and diorite blocks, and foundations belonging to an earlier phase of the New Theatre Royal. Probable prehistoric post-holes, and a post-medieval pit were also revealed during the watching brief (see MPM1389 and MPM1390).

A map by De Gomme dated 1668 shows a small settlement with a windmill called 'Cold Harbour' in the approximate area of the Theatre Royal site at this date. Finds recovered from the post-medieval and early modern features suggest there was activity on the site, possibly a settlement, from the late medieval or Tudor period onwards. The presence of prehistoric post-holes and pottery would indicate much earlier activity in the area. There were also a number of springs and ponds in the general area, which were used in the manufacture of beer during the post-medieval period. A plan of Portsmouth by Edwards' dated 1716 shows an area of houses and gardens called 'Spring Gardens'. A street to the north-east of the watching brief site retains this name.

The details of the early modern/modern features and layers recorded during the watching brief are as follows:

A layer (4) of dark greyish sandy clay loam, 300mm thick and containing fragments of tile and brick, was observed throughout the trench. Fragments of post-medieval roof tile, mid-late 18th century clay pipe, and sherds of 18th-19th century pottery were also recovered from the layer. The top of the layer was 1m below the surface of the trench, and it overlay the fill of four post-holes, thought to be prehistoric (see MPM1389), and a post-medieval pit (see MPM1390). It was cut by a series of pits and a linear feature dating to the early modern period (see below).

Several pits were located in the north-west corner of the site. These comprised the following:

A rectangular pit (33) with near-vertical sides, measuring 1.7m long, 1.5m wide and at least 500mm deep. Its fill consisted of a very dark grey silty clay loam which contained oyster shell, brick fragments, fragments of 18th-19th century clay tobacco pipe, 18th-19th century creamware and pearlware pottery, post-medieval brick, and post-medieval ridge tile. This feature was not fully excavated.

A rectangular pit (29) with near-vertical sides measuring 1.7m long, 1.1m wide and at least 500mm deep. This pit cut a post-medieval pit also found on the site (see MPM1390). Its fill consisted of a dark greyish brown silty clay loam which contained fragments of oyster shell, animal bone, brick and tile, late-18th/early-19th century pearlware pottery, 19th century transfer print china and a fragment of burnt flint.

A square pit (35) with near-vertical sides measuring 1.2m long, 1.1m wide and at least 200mm deep. This feature cut pit 33 (see above), and was cut on its west side by pit 37 (see below). The fill was a pale brown sandy clay loam which contained abundant brick fragments and mortar, a post-medieval brick, and a fragment of late 19th-20th century mortar. This feature was not fully excavated.

A large rectangular pit with near-vertical sides measuring at least 4.2m long, 1.7m wide and 500m deep. The full extent of the feature was not observed, as its northern and western side lay beyond the edge of the trench. It cut pits 33 and 35. Its fill, a dark grey silty clay loam, contained large amounts of animal bone and brick rubble, 19th century Welsh roof slate, a cows vertebra (medial line split) and coal.


Three further pits were revealed towards the middle of the site:

A rectangular pit (12) with near-vertical sides and a flat base, measuring 1.2m long, 850mm wide and 600mm deep. Its fill was a dark greyish brown silty clay loam which contained abundant fragments of tile, coal, glass and slate. A fragment of mid-late 18th century clay tobacco pipe, a sherd of an 18th/19th century china plate, and a sherd from an 18th-19th century red earthenware jar with white slip were also recovered. This feature was not fully excavated.

To the south of pit 12 was another rectangular pit (14) with near-vertical sides. It measured 2.7m long, 1.5m wide and was at least 500mm deep. Its fill of dark greyish brown silty clay loam contained glass, tile, oyster shell, coal, fragments of post-medieval roof tile (peg tile), 19th century clay tobacco pipe and two sherds of 19th century transfer print hotel ware china.

A circular pit (16) with steeply sloped sides and a roughly flat base was located 2.1m south of pit 14. It measured 1.3m long, 1.1m wide and 800m deep. Its fill of dark brown silty clay loam contained fragments of oyster shell and post-medieval brick and roof tile.


A linear feature (7) measuring at least 10m long, 710mm wide and 90mm deep, ran roughly east-west across the southern end of the trench. This feature had steeply sloped sides and a nearly flat base. Its fill contained small fragments of brick and a fragment of post medieval roof tile. It may have been a drainage ditch.

Across most of the trench the above features and layer 4 were overlaid by a layer (3) of very dark, greyish brown sandy clay loam approximately 500mm thick. This layer (3) contained fragments of oyster shell, tile, brick, slate, limestone slabs, clay tobacco pipe and pottery. Layer 3 was cut by a construction trench (F8), which contained brick foundations and a concrete base. This feature was interpreted as the foundations for an earlier phase of the Theatre Royal. The construction trench was 800mm wide and 1.3m deep, and ran 20m north-south across the middle of the trench for the ground works for the new development, turning through 90 degrees to run 10m east-west along the south side of the trench.

A surface made up of Purbeck limestone blocks laid in cement (Layer 10), overlaid layer 3 in the north of the site. The surface was 9m long, at least 3m wide and 131mm thick. The limestone blocks were mainly rectangular, some with grooves chiselled into the top. The blocks measured approximately 145mm wide, 131mm deep and between 240mm and 555mm long.

The layer of limestone blocks was partly overlaid by a deposit of crushed brick and brick rubble (Layer 11), approximately 250mm thick. The bricks measured 243mm long, 111mm wide and 65mm thick. They probably dated to AD1850 or later, as they had frogs.

At the west side of the site a surface of squared diorite blocks (19, 20 and 23) overlaid layers 3 and 11. The surface was at least 12m long, 4m wide and 200mm thick. The blocks were rectangular and had been laid in cement. They measured 120mm wide, 180mm deep and between 300mm and 500mm long. Some larger stones at the edge of the surface may have been used to form a kerb. Tarmac, concrete and brick had been used to repair the surface in several places. Several additional layers of diorite blocks (Layer 22), ceramic tiles (Layer 18/24) and bricks (Layer 21), were probably also repairs to this surface.

Accession number: 2013/535

Anderson, E L & Cottrell, P R, 2013, Archaeological Watching Brief at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth (Unpublished document). SPM255.