Monument Type(s):

• REVETMENT (Building began early, 13th century - 1226 AD? to 1226 AD?)
• TOWN WALL (Building began early, 13th century - 1226 AD? to 1226 AD?)

Summary

Part of a town wall and revetment, begun in circa 1226, which is protected by Grade II Listing.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA5849 - 2003-2004 excavations off St Julian's Friars by Marches Archaeology
• ESA7310 - 2011 WB and building recording of the town wall at St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury by Border Archaeology (Ref: 94/0238/063/94)
• ESA7970 - 2016 WB on construction of a new substation, adjacent to Telephone House, Beeches Lane, Shrewsbury by Castlering Archaeology

Description

Standing section of the 'town wall' west of St Julian's Friars, more correctly defined as a standing length of sandstone masonry on the course of the medieval town wall. Composed of large finely jointed blocks of red-brown sandstone ashlar (c.500 x 400mm estm from photos), not certainly Keele Beds (to be confirmed), certainly larger and longer than the blocks used in the Raven Meadows/Mardol area, as recorded by Barker, Carver et al (see PRNs 62400, 62361). This section stands c.3m high acting as a retaining or terrace wall to higher ground to the north, and is supported by heavy buttresses with sloping offsets and concave moulded plinths at the top of the buttress's vertical face, and a simple chamfered plinth at the base. At least one of the buttresses to this section is secondary to the much of the wall face and contemporary with a badly-coursed area of apparent repair. The listing description accepts this monument as ' original' 13th-century work [<1>], though this seems as highly questionable as the date of most of the southern sector of the town wall circuit. <2>

Excavations west of St Julian's Friars in 2003-4 investigated the town wall at this point. A trench (trench 5) was cut from the wall southwards across the ditch, and a limited portion of the wall (1m in width) was excavated to c0.2m below its base. Concerns about the strength of the wall at this point prevented a wider exposure of its base. The town wall was seen to overlie the same pale yellow alluvium that was cut by the medieval ditch [PRN 08553]. Unfortunately, any other stratigraphic relationships had been removed by erosion on the narrow (c1.3m) berm between the wall on the ditch (where 18th century deposits directly overlay the natural alluvium). Indeed, by the end of the 18th century, the footings of the town wall had been entirely exposed to view. The wall was formed from neatly cut ashlars, but there was no plinth. The inferior standard of the masonry dressing and lack of plinth strongly suggest that this is a rebuild of the original medieval town wall, but the date at which this occurred cannot be proven from the archaeology. However, several factors indicate a late 16th or early 17th century date. The proximity of the medieval ditch line [PRN 08553] must indicate that the medieval wall was on the same line (or a very similar one) to the rebuild. <3>

Further to archaeological work west of St Julian's Friars [<3>], a programme of archaeological observation was undertaken to the south of Beeches Lane in 2011. Archaeological observation centred upon an area to the south of Beeches Lane and west of St Julian’s Friars, where excavation and piling operations were carried out either side of a surviving east-west section of the 13th century town wall. The new road crossed the wall at this point and a bridge design has been incorporated into the layout in order to minimise impact on the medieval remains. Additionally, a drawn and photographic record of the wall was compiled. Examination of the fabric revealed evidence of considerable post-medieval repair and underpinning. The upper section of the masonry also showed evidence of earlier impact, with much of the superstructure damaged or missing. Groundworks observation to the north of the wall revealed evidence of considerable truncation of earlier deposits by 19th century cellarage. These cellars appeared to have incorporated the existing medieval fabric of the wall, which in places had been refaced with brick and render along its northern elevation. Groundworks to the south of the wall revealed a very substantial deposit of 19th or 20th century building demolition rubble, extending below the maximum excavation depth. No earlier deposits were attained. <4>

A watching brief was carried out on the excavation of a new substation site to the immediate N of this section of town wall in 2016; no impact was recorded on the surviving structure of the wall. This section of the town wall had previously ramped over during development (see <4>). <5>

<01> Department of National Heritage (DNH), 1995-Nov-17, 47th List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, p62 (List of Buildings). SSA3458.

<02> Baker Nigel J, UAD Analysis, 18/03/1997 (SMR comment). SSA20432.

<03> Tavener Nick, 2004, Land formerly belonging to Vincent Greenhous, St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury: assessment report on archaeological fieldwork with an updated project proposal (Excavation report). SSA22074.

<04> Logan W & Children G, 2011, Archaeological observation and limited structural record: St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury SY1 1UD (Watching brief report). SSA27292.

<05> Frost Pat, 2016, Construction of new sub-station, adj. telephone house, Beeches Lane, Shrewsbury: archaeological watching brief (Watching brief report). SSA29049.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.