Norwich was the third most important port on the east coast in the 11th century, with wide trading contacts. The water-front, near White Friars Bridge, and the nearby market place in Tombland, were at the centre of commercial activity.
Excavation revealed a beach, consolidated by layers of brushwood matting, and moorings for river craft. The waterlogged deposits provided valuable evidence for agricultural produce, marine resources and the local environment. Finds included a wide variety of imported pottery, and many Late Saxon shoes.
Local Late Saxon and Saxo-Norman industries included Thetford-type ware production in the Pottergate and Bedford Street area. Four 10th/12th-century kilns are described here, along with other possible kiln sites, waster dumps and stray finds. The products are described and viewed in their economic context with pottery from other sources in the region.