Summary

Whitefriars Carmelite Priory which was founded in 1342 and dissolved in 1538, after which it became the private house of the Hales family. The only remaining buildings are the east range of the cloister (MCT191) and the gatehouse (MCT890).

Monument Type(s):

• BURIAL (Earlier Medieval to Later Medieval - 1342 AD to 1539 AD)
• FRIARY (Earlier Medieval to Later Medieval - 1342 AD to 1539 AD)
• RELIGIOUS HOUSE (Earlier Medieval to Later Medieval - 1342 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 218488: Whitefriars Museum, gulson Road

Full description

<1> DoE, 1974, SP3378NE 1/29; SP3478NW 8/29, - (-INDEX). SCT227.

c1342 f Carmelite Priory, d1538. Private house of Hales family to 1717. Converted to workhouse for poor 1804.
After suppression of Friary 1538, church, house and lands divided up. Church into care of corporation, house and lands acquired by J Hales, who converted friary into private residence, demolishing parts and making structural
alterations. 1572, most of church pulled down. 1574 steeple fell and destruction of walls completed. Hales died same year but house remained in family to 1717 when Act of Parliament obtained for sale. Privately owned to 1801, passed to Directors of Poor of Coventry United Parishes, converted into workhouse, finally Salvation Army hostel. Apart from range along E side of former cloister (now Whitefriars Museum - MCT191 for bdg desc), only surviving structure is outer gateway of friary, on E side of Much Park St (MCT890). Friary church stood on N of cloister and excavations 1960-65 established it was cruciform in plan, 92.4m long with central tower, aisled nave of 9 bays, unaisled chancel 6 bays. Conventual buildings S of church built around large cloister. Chapterhouse stood to E of cloister. 1973, excavations uncovered parts of chapter house and 6 graves including remains of 8 skeletons beneath floor. As demolition of SA Hostel occurred simultaneously, excavation was deferred.

<2> Coventry Museums, 1977, Coventry Archaeology & Redevelopment, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT704.

Feb 1977 work recommenced as part of scheme of total excavation of
area around surviving E range of cloister.

<3> 1987, Excav Index, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT673.

Excavated by C Woodfield; archive: plans, photos, corres and ms.

<4> Pevsner N; Wedgwood A, 1966, The Buildings of England: Warwickshire, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT653.

Excavated by C Woodfield; archive: plans, photos, corres and ms.

<5> 1971, Archaeology Journal, 128; 251 (--MONOGRAPH). SCT229.

Excavated by C Woodfield; archive: plans, photos, corres and ms.

<6> Bateman J, 1977, Coventry "Whitefriars" Excavation, 20; 86 (--MONOGRAPH). SCT230.

<7> Pugh, R. B. (ed), 1969, Victoria County History: A History of the County of Warwickshire - Volume VIII, 8; 8- (--VOLUME). SCT683.

<8> Austin's Monthly Magazine of Instructive and Useful Information, 1932-1939, Extracts from "Austin's Monthly Magazine" of articles written by Mr J.B. Shelton 1932 - 1938, Vol. XXVII No. 337 (--ARTICLE). SCT1615.

Foundations of White Friars Church: extended from the top of Gulson Road to the City Wall, from the entrance to the lodge in a southerly direction. The other side was found a few years earlier at a depth of 8ft nr Elliot's Garage/Dog and Gun Inn. Notable burial: 1506 Sir Thomas Poultney in the chancel - possibly found by workmen in 1873. Font from this site in Shelton's possession 1935, formerly used as a horse trough, a forge's quenching tank and a flower bowl in a park garden.

<9> Warwickshire Museum Field Archaeology Unit, 2003, Archaeological Recording at The Tiny Tim Centre, Whitefriars Lane, Coventry, p.2, 6-9 (--WATCHING BRIEF REPORT). SCT1353.

Part of the monastic precint boundary was found, incorporating three re-used architectural fragments probably from the Friary. A lean-to building and some early pits were also found.

<10> Coventry Museum Archaeology Unit, 1998, An Archaeological Evaluation at Gulson Hospital, Coventry, p.18 (--EVALUATION REPORT). SCT1322.

Evaluations at the Gulson Road Hospital recorded a range of medieval and post-medieval features. Those dating to between the 11th to 14th centuries pre-date the Friary, but those of 14th-16th century may be evidence of Friary activity - possibly within a garden or orchard to the area to the east of the Friary core. 16th century broken roof tile in all the trenches may be associated with the Dissolution of the Friary.

<11> English Heritage, Listed Building Description (---LIST OF BUILDINGS). SCT1975.

Circa 1342, date of foundation of Carmelite Priory, dissolved 1538. Private dwelling house of Hales family to 1717. Converted to workhouse for the poor 1804. Range on east side of former cloister, 150 ft long. Ashlar, 2 storeys, tiled roof. Buttresses with offsets. Ground floor pointed arched windows to former cloister with ribbed cross vaults. 1st floor former friars' dormitory has square headed mullioned lattice casement windows, canted oriel bay window. Bombed 1940, restored 1968-9

<12> British Archaeological Reports, 2005, The Church of Lady Mount Carmel and some conventual buildings at the Whitefriars, Coventry (--MONOGRAPH). SCT1703.

<13> Medieval Archaeology, 1961, Medieval Archaeology Volume 5: Medieval Britain in 1960, Vol 5; p. 314 (--ARTICLE). SCT1973.

A trench cut by Mrs C. Woodfield for the Coventry Museum, in advance of road works, across the presumed site of the Whitefriars church, founded in the mid-14th century, exposed structures which seemed to be the W. part of the tower foundations and the NE corners of two successive N aisles, suggesting that the church was widened, apparently in the late 14th or early 15th century, the first church being 62 ft wide externally, and the latter 82 ft. The S external wall of the church continued in a second trench to the W, showing that the nave is at least 140 ft long. Part of an external buttress of this wall was also revealed. A wall burial of a youth, and traces of what may have been his shrine (carved stone fragments richly decorated with gold leaf and scarlet paint) were in the crossing area. A very large quantity of stone mouldings was recovered, especially from the central area, where the tower is known to have collapsed in the late 16th century. Beneath this collapse a rich rubbish level, presumably dating from the latter part of the 16th century when the church was in use as a school, produced black-glazed pottery of a type normally throught to be 18th century. There were also quantities of decorated floor-tiles and window-glass. The destruction level of the church produced a copper coin of Jacopo I, king of Sicily, 1285-1295.

<14> Clark, Norman, 1981, A Tale of Three Spires (TEXT). SCT1465.

<15> 1942, The City We Loved: Coventry, England, p.39 (--MONOGRAPH). SCT91.

In this monastery were fourteen friars, and in the making of air-raid shelters their burial ground has been discovered, many remains being revealed, which as far as possible have been re-interred on the same site. Only one stone coffin has been known to be found, and that disappeared more than a hundred years ago. In the erection of this shelter only one sign of a coffin was brought to light , this being the greater part of a stone coffin lid found over a skeleton in a good state of preservation. This skeleton was probably a Prior, and the skull contained a set of thirty-two teeth, perfect save for one slightly decayed. Pottery of the fourteenth and tiles also were found, and an encaustic tile in new condition, having a wyvern; one like it was also found at a tile kiln of fourteenth century at Stoke…

<16> Brownhill Hayward Brown Architects, 2010, Whitefriars (inspection report) (-REPORT). SCT2275.

Brownhill Hayward Brown were instructed to undertake an inspection of Whitefriiards, Coventry in order to provide a five year planned maintenance schedule.

<17> Allen Cavanagh Partnership, 2004, Condition Survey Report at Whitefriars Monastry, London Road, Coventry (--BUILDING RECORDING REPORT). SCT2276.

Condition survey of Whitefriars Monastery, London Road, Coventry.

<18> Duval Brownhill Partnership, 2001, Whitefriars Monastery, a feasibility study (-REPORT). SCT2277.

Feasibility Study to advise, in broad terms, on the various options open for this building, including commentary on its condition, likely budget costs for its repair and extension and modification to suit the brief, and how best to link the building with the University within the context of its immediate environment.

Sources and Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECT290 - Whitefriars, Gulson Road (Ref: COVE225)
• ECT293 - Whitefriars, Gulson Street (Ref: COVE228)
• ECT318 - Whitefriars (Ref: COVE253)
• ECT319 - Whitefriars (Ref: COVE254)
• ECT45 - Whitefriars Excavation 1990
• ECT456 - White Friars Church
• ECT457 - Elliot's Garage
• ECT499 - An Architectural Analysis of the Former Cloister of the Coventry Whitefriars
• ECT56 - Whitefriars Excavations
• ECT57 - Whitefriars Excavations
• ECT80 - The Tiny Tim Centre, Whitefriars Lane (Ref: COVE9)
• ECT96 - Gulson Hospital Trench 2 (Ref: COVE25)
• ECT97 - Gulson Hospital Trench 1 (Ref: COVE26)
• ECT98 - Gulson Hospital Trench 4 (Ref: COVE27)
• ECT99 - Gulson Hospital Trench 3 (Ref: COVE28)

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