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| HER Number: | MSH16 |
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| Type of Record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Junction of French Street and Town Quay - Stone Wall |
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| Grid Reference: | SU 4188 1101 |
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| Map: | Show location on Streetmap |
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Summary
A stone wall was found during a watching brief on a gas trench dug on Town Quay in 1993 (SOU 545 Trench 1). It was almost certainly part of the medieval town wall.
Protected Status: None recorded
Other References/Statuses
- Old Southampton SMR No/Backup file: SU 4111 SE 44
Monument Type(s):
- TOWN WALL? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
Full description
[1] SOU 545 Trench 1 Results: Wall 72 was observed at the junction of Town Quay and French Street. The exposed dimensions were 2.45m wide, 12.50m long and 0.85m high. The surviving top was c0.35m below the modern ground surface (see figure 3). It was constructed of limestone blocks and rubble in a hard, grey-white, lime mortar. The complete original width of the wall was visible where it was cut by the trench in French Street and it showed possible coursing. It appeared to end 4.70m west of French Street but whether this was due to an abrupt change in alignment or later removal is uncertain. It is not certain whether the south profile of the wall is original or due to damage but there was possibly a plinth; here the wall was butted by several layers, the lowest of which (033) contained modern pottery. The alignment and appearance of wall 072 suggest that it is almost certainly part of the medieval town wall. If so, the discovery of this wall is of importance as there is some uncertainty as to the position of the town wall between the Water Gate and Cuckoo Lane. Wall 072 is 5m to the north-east of the "site of the town wall" shown on the 1868 map. A defensive tower is shown on the 1868 OS map in the area of wall 072 but nothing was identified at this point that was definitely part of a tower.
(GIS: rough polygon plotted based on fig 2 of report.)
Sources / Further Reading
| [1] | SSH171 - Archaeological Report: G Bareham. 1993. Watching Brief on a Gas Pipe Trench at Town Quay, Southampton (SOU 545 Trench 1). SOU 545. All |
| [2] | SSH625 - Serial: M Hughes (ed), Hampshire County Council. 1994. Archaeology in Hampshire Annual Report for 1993. p33 |
| [3] | SSH675 - Serial: The Society for Medieval Archaeology. 1994. Medieval Archaeology, Vol 38, 1994 (for 1993). p217 - 218 |
| [4] | SSH592 - Serial: Morton, AD (ed), SCC. 1994. Archaeological Investigations in Southampton for April 1991 to December 1993. p22 |
Associated Finds: None recorded
Associated Events
- ESH545 - Watching brief on a new gas main on Town Quay in 1993 (Ref: SOU 545)
Related records
| MSH3136 | Child of: Town Defences - town wall between the "Tower next the Long House" and the Wool Bridge Tower (all demolished) |
Associated Links: None recorded
If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).
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