Summary

The buried remains of an area of Middle and Late Saxon town, off Greyfriars Road.

Source: Historic England

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the buried remains of an area of Middle and Late Saxon town, off Greyfriars Road.

DESCRIPTION: excavation of the site prior to the building of the Hotel Novotel in 1986/87 (see HISTORY) revealed a rich and important sequence of Anglo-Saxon occupation, including evidence for the early-C7 origins of Ipswich, the only area to date where structural occupation evidence has been found. Although the remains have now been removed, it is believed, on the evidence of the finds and observations, that they also extended across the area now occupied by the hotel car park and its grounds, along with a small section of the realigned Greyfriars Road, where they survive as buried features.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the scheduled area is intended to protect the archaeological evidence relating to the buried remains of an area of Middle and Late Saxon town that lie beneath the car park and grounds of the Ipswich Hotel Novotel and a small section off Greyfriars Road. It is possible that nationally important archaeological information may extend beyond the boundary of the scheduled area to the north and west. As the presence of such remains has not been demonstrated, these areas would be more effectively managed through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

EXCLUSIONS: the surface of the road, pavement and hotel car park are excluded from the scheduling. Also excluded are the car park barrier, bollards, lamp posts and road signs. The ground beneath all these features is, however, included.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The buried remains of an area of Middle and Late Saxon town, off Greyfriars Road, is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Potential: excavation within the immediate vicinity of the scheduled area has shown that the site has the potential to yield further archaeological information of national importance relating to Ipswich’s Saxon origins;

* Documentation: the results of two archaeological excavations within the immediate vicinity of the scheduled area allows the archaeological potential of the scheduled area to be predicted with reasonable accuracy;

* Group value: the significance of the site is enhanced by its group value with the other scheduled sections of settlement remains that will help to contextualise and understand Ipswich’s evolution, thereby adding to our knowledge of the formation of the English landscape following the end of the Roman occupation.
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Source: Historic England

Sources

Websites
Information from the Ipswich 1974-1990 Excavation Archive: Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service: Greyfriars Road (Island site), Ipswich - IAS5204, accessed 26 November 2015 from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/ipswich_5204_2015/index.cfm
Information from the Ipswich 1974-1990 Excavation Archive: Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service: St Peter's Street, Ipswich -IAS5203 , accessed 26 November 2015 from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/ipswich_5203_2015/index.cfm
Other
Suffolk County Council Historic Environment Record, Full Monument Report for SMR number IPS 215 - MSF 10271, Greyfriars Road, Ipswich

Source: Historic England