Summary

An excavation in Cox Street in 1976 found evidence for the medieval town wall.

Monument Type(s):

• TOWN DEFENCES (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status: None recorded

Full description

1> Excavation of town defences. No further information.
2> Brief excavation report.
3> Limited excavation on the presumed course of the town wall east of Cox Street, at a point 30m to the west of the 1977 excavations…demonstrated a change in the direction of the defensive circuit. The foundation dimensions and construction methods were similar to those recorded during excavations in 1970 and 1972 on a section of wall to the east of the site. Late medieval features lay beneath the wall. No evidence was found for ditch or rampart, as recorded on other sites…The sandstone wall stood 1.7m high at its eastern end, and disappeared 5m east of the trench, which initially measured 3m x 8m. The town wall foundation raft was discovered beneath a thin spread of topsoil, running in a south-east to north-west direction and the trench was extended to completely transect this alignment…The massive foundation raft of sandstone rubble was keyed in on outer and inner faces by roughly squared blocks of sandstone, packed with red clay. The facing blocks were more carefully set on the northern (outer) side, to offset the increased stresses caused by flooding and load-bearing. No ashlar for the wall survived in situ, but several blocks were found incorporated in the platform fill. Traces of a bedding of lime mortar and red tile were found parallel to the southern edge of the platform and may indicate the position of the back wall course (which would give a wall thickness of c.2.8m).

<1> 1987, Excavation Index, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT720.

<2> Bateman J, 1978, Late Medieval Town Defences, 21; 90 (--ARTICLE). SCT337.

<3> Coventry Museums, 1986, Coventry: Excavations on the Town Wall, 1976 - 78, p.7-12 (--MONOGRAPH). SCT1377.

Sources and Further Reading

Associated Finds

• FCT22 - Finds (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• ECT127 - Cox Street, Coventry (Ref: COVE56)
• ECT680 - Conservation Management Plan Condition Survey for Medieval Defences

Related records

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