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Name:Excavation of the medieval city wall and bastion, Well Street
HER no.:MCT16883
Type of Record:Monument

Summary

A trench was excavated adjacent to the east side of the medieval city wall and bastion tower in 1960 (WSII). It showed that the later wall and bastion were constructed at the same time and overlay a ditch interpreted as the 'Red Ditch'.


Grid Reference:SP 3317 7932
Former Parish:Holy Trinity

Monument Type(s):

  • BASTION (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)
  • DITCH (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)
  • OCCUPATION SITE (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)
  • PIT (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)
  • TOWN DEFENCES (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)
  • TOWN WALL (Later Medieval to Jacobean - 1351 AD to 1622 AD)

Protected Status: None recorded

Full description

1> WSII. Cut into bastion. Bastion one construction with later wall i.e. construction trenches showed. Below this is 'Red Ditch' which has been deliberately filled (with rampart material?). Ditch is here rock-cut.
3> The fourth section, cut inside the near-by projecting semi-circular bastion, showed it was built with the wall, with a very rough foundation of stones loosely laid in sand, 5.5 ft deep, material from the bank being packed into the projection against the upper part of this foundation. This section revealed more of the profile of the ditch, which was V-shaped, 10ft deep and probably 17ft wide, and had been deliberately filled after 3.5 ft of silt had accumulated in the bottom.


<1> Coventry Museum Archaeology Unit, 1960, Well Street Wall Excavations 1960: Site summary notes (TEXT). SCT1970.


<2> Historical Association, Coventry Branch, 1971, Coventry's Town Wall (-PUBLICATION). SCT1581.


<3> Medieval Archaeology, 1961, Medieval Archaeology Volume 5: Medieval Britain in 1960, p.324-325 (--ARTICLE). SCT1973.

Sources and Further Reading

<1>SCT1970 TEXT: Coventry Museum Archaeology Unit. 1960. Well Street Wall Excavations 1960: Site summary notes.
<2>SCT1581 -PUBLICATION: Historical Association, Coventry Branch. 1971. Coventry's Town Wall. Gooder, E.. A4 simplex. 24.
<3>SCT1973 --ARTICLE: Medieval Archaeology. 1961. Medieval Archaeology Volume 5: Medieval Britain in 1960. Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, D.G.. 4. p.324-325.

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

  • ECT32 - City Wall Excavation, Well Street, 1962
  • ECT680 - Conservation Management Plan Condition Survey for Medieval Defences

Related records

MCT2599Part of: Medieval City Wall (Monument)
MCT243Related to: Medieval city wall and Red Ditch, Well Street (Monument)

Images

Well Street Wall Excavations 1960: Site summary notes © Coventry City Council

Well Street Wall Excavations 1960: Site summary notes © Coventry City Council

Upper Well Street Excavations 1960 (WSII): 'Red Ditch' beneath bastion © Coventry City Council

Upper Well Street Excavations 1960 (WSII): 'Red Ditch' beneath bastion © Coventry City Council

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