Site Event/Activity record ECH6575 - Archaeological Evaluation Report: Red Lion Hotel, Malpas

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in April 2018 at the Red Lion Hotel, Malpas, prior to its redevelopment. It comprised four evaluation trenches (12m by 2m), within the car park and gardens of the pub. The site lies within the historic medieval core of Malpas, falling within both the Malpas Conservation Area and the Malpas Area of Archaeological Potential. A possible Roman road lies to the immediate west of the site; a Scheduled Monument, Castle Hill Motte (1012105), a Norman motte and bailey castle, lies c.150m to the west of the site; as does the Grade I Listed Church of St Oswald on Church Street; the Grade II Listed Malpas Cross lies approximately 30m west of the site; and on the southwest edge of the site is the Grade II Listed building known as Tudor Cottage. Trench one revealed a roughly hewn sandstone wall, aligned south-west to north-east, thought to be the outer boundary wall of a house depicted on the 1898 OS map; post holes and pit abutted the wall. Within trench two, the remains of the corner of a structure were encountered; it is depicted on the 1841 tithe map and also the 1898 OS map. It potentially represents the end of a building associated with the bowling green (also depicted on the tithe map). It comprised a bonded, red hand-made brick wall with footings; the interior of the building contained the remains of a cobbled surface with an area of york stone slabs, potentially the internal floor or possibly a doorway. Immediately west of the building was evidence of drains and services with multiple pits and cuts. The remains of a likely linear boundary, also of post medieval date, was identified in the western area of the trench. Trench three contained multiple pits and postholes below layers of garden soils, demolition rubble and remnant cobbles. The features were seen throughout the trench and appeared to form a linear pattern, many with stone pads or packing suggesting a use as post holes. Dating evidence for some of these features would suggest that they are not all contemporary and they may span the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The historic mapping shows this area changed frequently with both small and large structures and yard areas between. Trench four showed little activity with the exception of a probable field boundary. Garden soils and a plough layer were seen across the trench, which support its use as a bowling green in the nineteenth century, and thereafter as an allotment and garden. (1)