The chalk scarp at the rear of the site had been subject to quarrying from the 11th to 12th century. The chalk and occasional flints obtained from the site would have supplied the growing Norman city which demanded raw materials for its many new building projects, such as the castle, cathedral and churches. The sites central riverside location would have allowed for large volumes of material to be transported across the city.
A well preserved timber walkway was discovered at the edge of the Late Saxon foreshore. Numerous well preserved leather off-cuts were collected from the river muds which may derive from cobbling or clothing waste. A late Saxon bone pin-beater for use with a warp-weighted loom and a carved bone tool, perhaps used as a burnisher for parchment, were found within the backfill of the quarry; which was also included waste from iron working known to have occurred in the vicinity of the site along the river’s edge.