Monument MPM1479 - Brick Floor, City Museum and Record Office site

A floor constructed from soft red bricks was revealed during an archaeological evaluation at the Portsmouth City Museum site in 2001. The floor was c. 13.5m long and one brick thick, and had been built upon a hardcore made up of a grey sandy soil with gravel inclusions c. 40-50mm in diameter. It was jumbled at its western end, possibly having been scraped when a layer of tarmac was laid above it at a later date.

It is not known what function the floor would have served. It does not appear to directly relate to the late 19th-early 20th century barrack complex which formerly stood on the site, as plans of the barracks do not show a specific building/structure in this area. It has been suggested that a rifle range was located in this corner of the site, although no documentary evidence has been found to support this theory.

Accession No: 2001/1344

Stevens, Jenny, 2001, Desk Based Assessment and Archaeological Evaluation Portsmouth City Museum and Record Office, Museum Road, Portsmouth (Unpublished document). SPM270.