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Summary

Remains of the late 18th century canal were found during archaeological fieldwork at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003 (SOU 1260). A substantial north/south stone wall is thought to be the retaining wall on the western edge of the canal. Deposits found east of this wall were probably early 19th century backfills of the canal.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• CANAL (Built, Post Medieval - 1790 AD to 1799 AD)
• RETAINING WALL (Built, Post Medieval - 1790 AD to 1799 AD)

Full description

SOU 1260 (evaluation and excavation at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003):
HER 23/5/2016: Reports [1] and [2] cover the evaluation and excavation stages of the fieldwork.
Report [3] is a joint report covering both SOU 1260 and SOU 1263 (a site not far to the north). Report [3] is clearly still a draft (it contains errors and inconsistencies), and was probably not approved (see Event record). The reports differ in their interpretations, particularly as regards N/S wall 161. Despite the problems with report [3], the interpretations in that report have been used in this record, as more likely to have been correct (and also agreeing with the interpretations in SOU 1263 report [4]). (I don’t know whether all the SOU 1260 interpretations in [3] were accepted by the SCC Planning Archaeologist.)

[3]: The trench was located outside Friary Gate, on the line of the single town ditch shown at this location on Speed's 1611 map, and the western extent of the late 18th century canal.

Several structures were found in the central part of the excavation trench. The earliest was a substantial N/S aligned unmortared stone wall (161). It was set within marine clays (undated, but assumed to be late medieval or early post-medieval) in the base of the town ditch (see MSH2653), and was butted by various reclamation deposits. The surviving top of wall 161 was at 1.64m BMGS, and its top had apparently been robbed. On stratigraphic evidence it dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. The function of wall 161 is unknown and it is not shown on any maps (although see below). It was faced on the east side and may have been a continuation of a robbed out N/S wall (038) found on SOU 1263 to the north (see MSH2651). This wall may have been a retaining wall along the west edge of the late 18th century canal. Less likely, it was part of a large building on the 19th century timber yard.

HER 23/5/2016: Wall 161 is probably shown on plan Figure 2 of [3], which marks “Western edge of C18th Court” – probably a mistake for “Canal”, as no “Court” is discussed in the text or shown on historic maps (note that this figure is reused from SOU 1263 report [4] which marks “Canal” – SOU 1263 being the other site covered in [3]). The distance of wall 161 from the town wall isn’t given in [3], or in [2]. Note that the possibility that wall 161 was part of the canal wasn’t considered in earlier report [2]. In a few places in [3] it is stated that the canal was “on the line of Lower Canal Walk”, which is incorrect; it was to the west of Lower Canal Walk, as shown on some historic maps. Presumably the deposits found east of this wall were backfills of the canal.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH1500 - Evaluation and Excavation at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003 (Ref: SOU 1260)

Related records

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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