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Summary

During the re-laying of a road surface at Duke Street a bridge was revealed over the Holybrook.

Monument Type(s):

• BRIDGE (Medieval - 1201 AD to 1400 AD)

Description

During the re-laying of a road surface at Duke Street a bridge was revealed over the Holybrook. The bridge was constructed of blocks of oolite and sandstone with flint nodules set in whitish mortar. There were bits of roof tile in the mortar. The blocks were about 17-20 cm wide, 20-30 cm deep and 50cm long. The width of the bridge was undetermined during the recording. The crown of the arch was about 35cm below the present pavement level. On the west side was the base of a side wall, constructed in identical mortar. The earliest road metalling ran up to this wall. Pottery sherds recovered from the lower layers of the bridge point to a date of construction for the bridge of the 13th to 15th century, with more likelihood of a late date in this bracket. Documentary evidence for the bridge is found on Speen's map of Reading (1602) but by 1802 houses had been built over the Holybrook on either side of Duke Street, and the bridge had been incorporated into a brick culvert, the western part of which was exposed during the road works <1>. Other finds from the site include part of a silver coin (c.1285-c.13.25) <2> and a bronze needle.

British Museum, 1979, Coin fragment from site at Duke Street (Letter). SRM13463.

<1> Lobb, S, 1979, Watching Brief-Duke Street, Reading (Unpublished document). SRM13462.

Sources

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