If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).
Data derived from Heritage Gateway will not be acceptable for any use associated with development proposals and other planning matters.
For important guidance on the use of this record, please click
here
. © Southampton City Council
| HER Number: | MSH37 |
|---|
| Type of Record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Town Defences - town wall between Polymond Tower and first tower on the east town wall |
|---|
| Grid Reference: | SU 4214 1160 |
|---|
| Map: | Show location on Streetmap |
|---|
Summary
This section of the eastern town wall was largely demolished in the 18th century, along with the tower (MSH3120) at the south end. Only a stub of the east wall adjoining Polymond Tower (MSH36) remains. The date of the eastern town wall is uncertain. It could be broadly contemporary with the north town wall – so probably of late 13th century date (1260 to 1291), however a mid-14th century date has also been suggested.
Archaeological excavations were carried out on this part of the wall in 1956 (SOU 141 Trench 7) and from 1986 to 1992 (SOU 175 Trench 14, and perhaps Trench 17). The SOU 141 trench was at the exterior angle of the eastern town wall and Polymond Tower; the town wall footings were found to butt (so built after) the tower footings, however little dating evidence was found. SOU 175 Trench 14 explored the area inside the defences at the junction of the surviving stub of the east wall and Polymond Tower. The wall faces in this area were exposed by the removal of deep deposits associated with an 18th century raised garden. Here, the eastern town wall has a north/south half-arch of stonework constructed against its inner face, perhaps the support for a former stair or wall-walk. The relationship between these two elements of the east wall and the back/south wall of Polymond Tower was investigated. It is not clear from the provisional site reports whether the footings of the back wall of the tower butted the footings of the eastern town wall or vice versa. The half-arch butted both the tower back wall and the eastern town wall. On SOU 175, no certain dating evidence was found for the construction of the various walls; a high medieval date (1200-1350) was thought most likely for the bases of all walls in the area, although a later date to 1450 was possible. The results from another SOU 141 trench, dug further south on the next section of the east wall (MSH38), was interpreted as suggesting a mid 14th century date for the eastern town wall, however this has been questioned.
The part of the wall that survives above-ground is listed and scheduled.
Protected Status
- Scheduled Monument 1001926
- Listed Building (I) 1340006: TOWN WALLS: SECTION OF WALL RUNNING WEST FROM POLYMOND TOWER TO REMAINS OF SEMI-CIRCULAR TOWER TO EAST OF BARGATE AND SMALL PART SOUTH OF POLYMOND TOWER
Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded
Monument Type(s):
- CURTAIN WALL (Built, Medieval - 1260 AD? to 1291 AD?)
- CURTAIN WALL (exant (part), Medieval to Modern - 1260 AD? to 2050 AD)
- TOWN WALL (Built, Medieval - 1260 AD? to 1291 AD?)
- TOWN WALL (exant (part), Medieval to Modern - 1260 AD? to 2050 AD)
- CURTAIN WALL (Built, Medieval - 1325 AD? to 1375 AD?)
- TOWN WALL (Built, Medieval - 1325 AD? to 1375 AD?)
- CURTAIN WALL (demolished (part), Post Medieval - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)
- TOWN WALL (demolished (part), Post Medieval - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)
Full description
Records for the town defences are currently being enhanced and it is intended that further details will be added to this description at a later date. (SCC HER 4/12/09)
Sources / Further Reading
| --- | SSH3136 - Unpublished document: Ancient Monument File AM81 - North Walls: Bargate to Polymond Tower. |
| --- | SSH4787 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. Their dig may fill gaps in Soton history.. Daily Echo, 14 August 1957. |
| --- | SSH4788 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. Soton 'dig' yields up 300-year-old secrets.. Daily Echo, 24 August 1957. |
| --- | SSH4789 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. Will you help to disinter the past?. Daily Echo, 29 June 1957. |
| --- | SSH4790 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. When the town wall was only a bank.. Daily Echo, 8 May 1957. |
| --- | SSH4792 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. Forgotten tower relic unearthed by Soton 'dig'.. Daily Echo, 11 April 1957. |
| --- | SSH4794 - Article in serial: Echo reporter. 1957. Medieval Soton had atmosphere!. Daily Echo, 18 April 1957. |
| [1] | SSH508 - Monograph: C Platt and R Coleman-Smith et al. 1975. Excavations in Medieval Southampton 1953 - 1969, Vol 1: The Excavation Reports. pp140-149, figs 39 & 40 |
| [2] | SSH2510 - Archaeological Report: H Kavanagh. 1994. York Buildings - SOU 175 Interim Report. SOU 175. |
| [3] | SSH683 - Serial: The Society for Medieval Archaeology. 1958. Medieval Archaeology, Vol 2, 1958 (for 1957). p198 and p 199 (figure 49) |
| [4] | SSH2888 - Digital archive: English Heritage. 2005. Listed Buildings System dataset for Southampton. |
Associated Finds: None recorded
Associated Events
- ESH141 - Excavations on the North-East Defences and Polymond Tower in 1957 (Ref: SOU 141)
- ESH175 - Excavations at York Buildings (the Bargate Centre) and North Walls between 1983 and 1992 (Ref: SOU 175)
Related records
| MSH14 | Child of: Town Defences - town wall, towers and gates |
Associated Links: None recorded
Images
 Polymond Tower, 31/8/09, © I Peckham |  Polymond Tower, 6/9/09, © I Peckham |
 Polymond Tower, 6/9/09, © I Peckham |  Polymond Tower, 6/9/09, © I Peckham |
 Polymond Tower, 6/9/09, © I Peckham |  Polymond Tower, 6/9/09, © I Peckham |
 Rampier ground inside town wall next to Polymond Tower, 31/8/09, © I Peckham |  Rampier ground inside town wall next to Polymond Tower, 31/8/09, © I Peckham |
 Rampier ground inside town wall next to Polymond Tower, 31/8/09, © I Peckham | |
If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).
Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.