Baxter's Printworks, Lewes

Project type: Excavation

Introduction
The Baxter's Printworks in St. Nicholas Lane, Lewes closed its doors in 2002, ending two centuries of the family business's association with the town. The majority of the factory complex was demolished in 2006, in advance of a new residential development. Given its location in the heart of the historic town, a condition was placed on the planning permission for the development requiring a programme of archaeological work at the site.

The Site
Following some preliminary investigations, a team from Archaeology South-East began a large-scale archaeological excavation at the site in August 2006, and although most of the on-site archaeological work was completed before Christmas of that year, some areas of the site were not available at that time. Small-scale excavations and monitoring visits continued until December 2007, by which time the entire site had been examined, and nearly 400 archaeological features had been identified, excavated and recorded.

Romans and Anglo-Saxons
There were hints of prehistoric and Roman occupation in the vicinity, including tiles dated to the 2nd to 4 th centuries, suggesting the presence of a Roman building nearby, but the first proven activity at the site dates from the Anglo-Saxon period. The town's status as a burh (fortified town) from the 9 th century onwards is well-known from historical sources but archaeological remains from this date have proved elusive. However, the Baxters site contained an embarrassment-of-riches from the 9 th to the 11 th centuries including a stretch of the defensive ditch marking the edge of the burh (the first physical evidence of this feature), and a hoard of 17 silver pennies dating from the reign of Edward the Elder, 899-924 AD. Other finds from this era included pottery, large quantities of animal and fish bone and a group of loom-weights from a possible building.

After the Conquest
Occupation of the area continued beyond the Conquest, with at least one building fronting onto St. Nicholas Lane in the 12 th century, and a variety of pits, cess-pits and wells to the rear. It appears that the burh ditch was also backfilled at this time. The evidence was somewhat thinner for activity in the 13 th, 14 th and 15 th centuries, however the site clearly continued to be used for rubbish disposal in pits, and for some industrial processes. Relatively little material was deposited at the site during the 16 th and 17 th centuries, but there were impressive assemblages of late 18 th and 19 th century artefacts recovered from wells, cellars and pits. The story of the site was brought almost up-to-date by the discovery of elements of the printing-presses housed at the site in more recent years, some bearing the scars of a fire which destroyed much of the factory in the 1950s.

Finds
The range of artefacts recovered from the Anglo-Saxon and medieval deposits was impressive. Although there was little imported pottery, the assemblages were large and varied in origin of manufacture. The animal and fish bone included the usual meat-bearing species and domestic animals, as well as some more exotic specimens, including part of the collarbone of a minke whale. Some bone had been made into tools. The metalwork assemblage was particularly striking, and included keys, knives, buckles, brooches, pins and a barrel padlock. There were a variety of other medieval finds including tiles, building stone, and more ‘domestic' items such as quernstones and spindle whorls. A piece of medieval window glass was also recovered. Post-medieval assemblages included a range of pottery, tiles, glass, animal bones, clay pipes and other ‘everyday' artefacts, as well as evidence of various industrial processes, including printing.

Post-Excavation Work
Analysis of the artefacts from the Baxter's site is ongoing. When studied in conjunction with material from other sites in Lewes, such as the library site, and the on-going excavation at Walwers Lane , a fuller picture of Lewes's past will emerge, with full publication in due course.

Project Officer: Simon Stevens
Client: Rokbuild Ltd
Project type: Excavation