The Priory Centre, attached to the former Victorian church of St.Catherine's,  is located in the area of the fomer St.Katherine's Priory, just to the south of the suburbs of the Roman and medieval Lincoln. Several recent phases of archaeological work nearby had exposed stone buildings and a cemetery associated with the medieval priory. During refurbishment of the church as a new community centre, the original floor was lifted, offering an ideal opportunity to investigate what lay beneath the Victorian church.

The first phase of work entailed the hand excavation of a 10m by 1.5m trench in the middle of the church.
 
 
The Phase 1 trench, showing the two overlying phases of stone walls, and a mortared floor adjacent to the earlier wall.
 

The trench exposed several layers of demolition material, sealing two phases of stone walls, one directly overlying the other. Only a single course of stonework of the later wall survived in situ, although a spread of stone to its west was interpreted as an associated deposit indicating the collapse of the superstructure after its abandonment.

Perhaps the most significant find was a stone culvert containing a green glazed ceramic water pipe. This was built in the same cut as the earliest wall suggesting a single phase of construction. This was dated to the 14th century, and indicates that the structures exposed represent an extension to the original priory, which was founded in the 12th century. Documentary research uncovered a grant in 1306 allowing the priory permission to channel water from a nearby spring to their property.
 
 
Phase 2 trench extension. This shot shows the stone culvert and green glazed water pipe. The pipe is bedded on clay, and this shot also shows where the pipe has been broken off at its south end.
 
 
Due to the discovery of the walls and water pipe, it was decided by the Priory Centre that the refurbishment of the church would include a glass floor over the central part of the trench. Therefore, a second phase of work was undertaken to extend the trench to the north and south. This exposed more of the two phases of walls and also showed that the water pipe had been broken at its south end and removed.
 
In April 2009 a third and final phase of work was undertaken in order to extend the trench to accomodate a supporting structure for the proposed glass floor. This showed that the water pipe had also been broken off at its north end.
 
 
North end of the glazed ceramic water pipe exposed in the third phase of archaeological investigations.
 
 
The refurbishment works at the Priory Centre are currently ongoing, and the new centre is due to be open in September 2009. Visit their website for further information: