Making progress

The dig at Shakespeare's house in Stratford is really looking good now with loads of questions raising themselves. I think the overall message is ... 'nothing is as it appears'.

The 1702 mansion cellar (excavated in 1862/3) is looking good with the internal walls now appearing from underneath the Victorian spoilheaps. We should soon be at floor level and then of course have the opportunity to discover I hope the rear (east, riverward) wall of Shakespeare's front range cellar wall as well as the truncated remains of wells within Shakesperare's internal courtyard that should be east of this.

I think the stone wall that is stratified underneath the south 1702 cellar wall in brick, is probably the single most significant feature we have. Its clearly on a different alignment to the 1702 cellar walls and also of a different build (stone not brick). The Victorians thought it to be Shakespeare's cellar wall, and given the simple fact that it lies beneath the 1702 cellar wall - that seems convincing.

It needs a good clean and recording. A little look the other day showed it was not at all clear and that it was not exclusively stone or even drystone (I saw both bricks and mortar within it).

Meanwhile out the back (east, towards the river) we are seeing the first traces of cut features beneath the 1920 period Knot garden topsoil. Whilst the first one seems 18th Century and maybe a robbed well (I have a pound on that), it shows that idea that curt features will survive beneath the topsoil is not crazy, and thus that we have a significantly higher chance of finding cut features of Shakespeare's period - and thus his elucive rubbish.

I hope so. watch this space for more.