Two Late Medieval Brick-Built Undercrofts in Wisbech and the Early Use of Brick in Eastern England

Two brick-built undercrofts are identified in Wisbech. The undercrofts are described and their original form is examined. They are compared with undercrofts in Norwich and other brick buildings in the Fenland area, including Boston. The paper argues that when thee were built brick had not acquired the associations with high-status buildings which was subsequently achieved in the fifteenth century. Brick was used simply because it was a readily available form of masonry.