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Summary

Canal built in the 1790s along line of the eastern town ditch (the outer ditch), and extending across Houndwell Park. It was part of the Southampton to Salisbury Canal (MSH2954). The canal seems never to have been used. It was backfilled in the mid 19th century. [This record is not yet complete. Further information can be found in the sources listed and elsewhere.]

Protected Status: None recorded

Other References/Statuses

• HER backup file (new series): MSH622  digital only
• HER backup file (new series): SOU 357  (paper & digital)
• HER backup file (new series): SOU 408  (paper & digital)
• HER backup file (new series): SOU 583  (paper & digital)
• Old Southampton SMR No/Backup file: SU 4210 NW 23  also SU 4210 NW 26
• Old Southampton SMR No/Backup file: SU 4211 SW 8  
• Old Southampton SMR No/Backup file: SU 4211 SW 86  

Monument Type(s):

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

Full description

[1]: In the 1790s work started to convert the town ditch against the eastern town wall into a canal. The canal was never used and was backfilled in the mid 19th century.

[1]: Two mooring rings attached to steps at the back of Lankester's works (page 25). Photograph (Plate 9) of steps and mooring rings in Canal Walk, 1965.

[1]: (Page 26.) When the foundations of Palmerston House were being prepared in 1961, a wall of one of the wharves was discovered. The lower part of the wall was of stone, the upper part of brick. No measured drawings were made before the wall was concreted in.
HER 4/11/2015: Palmerston House is a long block of flats and shops between Canal Walk (to west) and Queensway (to east).
HER 13/2/2020: Palmerston House lies east of Canal Walk. If the wall was found during construction of the foundations, then it was probably part of a cellar or other structure, rather than part of the canal.

[13]: Includes a photograph of steps which led down to the canal, visible from Canal Walk (1953), with mooring rings. (Same place as [1] plate 9, although different photo. Rest of source not checked.)

[17]: (This detailed map shows the canal within the then boundaries of the Borough of Southampton, including the section along the eastern town walls, although that part of the map is rather damaged in places. This map, when compared with the 1846 map -- which shows the same blocks of buildings -- can be used to accurately plot the canal, at least where Doswell’s map is not worn away.)
(See also [18].)

[19]: Photograph showing "Excavations in The Strand …The trench unearthed part of the old Southampton canal workings… (possibly) early 1930s". (As published/described on a Facebook website, see Resources for URL. Original source of photograph not given.)

HER 23/11/2015:
There are Corporation leases for the eastern town ditches. Most have not been checked. The leases for 17 1/2 East Street, north of East Street, include
-- 1799 lease and plan (SC4/3/1043), which still mentions/shows the Town Pond (MSH5634) as east bounds
-- 1817 lease (SC4/3/1270) which refers to "the intended Southampton and Salisbury Canal formerly the Town Ponds", the plan showing a "Recess for Barges" and "Towing Path", both west of "South Place Road".

CANAL LOCK UNDER GODS HOUSE TOWER (MSH2248)
HER 13/2/2020: In about 1799 a canal lock was constructed under Gods House Tower, on the site of the old sluice and mill works. This was associated with the short-lived Southampton and Salisbury Canal, built in the town ditch/moat. Early 19th century illustrations show the south side of the canal tunnel.
[1] (p14): 1799 reference in the archives of the builders of the Southampton to Salisbury Canal to “the extras on the Lock under the Gaol....” (the gaol being in Gods House Tower).
[22] (pp 99-103): “Beneath the basement is an arched space, through which the canal projected at the beginning of this century was to have passed, the sluices of the original ditch having been in the same position.”
---------------------------------------------------------------
SOU 357:
[7][8]: In 1957 a watching brief took place on groundworks for a new basement, on the southeast corner of Bernard Street and Back of the Walls. "Part of the canal" was exposed, above the town ditch. The "thickness and depth of the canal wall" was exposed; a sketch plan in [7] shows the "edge of the canal wall, inner face". A later sewer, laid on the canal bed, was also recorded.
IP 13/12/02: The SOU 357 sources are rather difficult to interpret and no section is given. The sketch plan appears to suggest that the canal was hard up against the town wall.

SOU 583 (Watching brief in 1972 at 24/26 Bernard Street, and possibly 1/1a Back of the Walls):
[11]: An "East-west section through fill of town moat" shows a 7.5m long section through a sequence of deposits, 3m deep BMGS. Basic descriptions of the deposits are given. No dating evidence is noted. The deposits are briefly as follows. On the east side was a sequence of more-or-less horizontal (although very uneven) layers, with "clays" at the bottom, then a "thin pebbly brown soil layer", then an "orange natural clay", then a "light yellow-brown gravel". These layers appeared to be cut to the west by a large steep-sided feature, filled with gravels and "redeposited natural orange clay". There were two pockets of the latter (possibly in features) above the gravel at the top of the eastern sequence. The entire section was then overlain by a mortar layer, followed by between 0.75m and 1.5m of modern soil and brick rubble.
IP 15/1/03: The section drawing is rather difficult to interpret, as natural deposits are not clearly/consistently labelled. The deposits shown on the section drawing lie west of a cellar. This seems to place them over the assumed line of the inner town ditch, however evidence from SOU 357 to the south (although unclear) suggests the late-18th century canal ran quite close to the town wall in this area. The deposits on the eastern side of the section could be interpreted as natural deposits (although, if so, the sequence is rather odd), the large cut to the west being the inner town ditch. Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, the eastern deposits could be fills of the inner town ditch or canal, the large western cut being a later feature. (It might be worth asking P Cottrell to interpret the section.) (In view of the uncertainty, I have added this information to the records for the inner town ditch and canal.)

SOU 408 results:
[2][3]: In 1989 two trenches were observed on land north of Ulster House in Lower Canal Walk. Both trenches had similar deposits and were heavily contaminated by oil. The lowest deposit was a puddled clay, thought to be the base of the canal. Overlying layers were also recorded (see separate record).
IP 4/9/02: The deposits overlying the puddled clay on SOU 408 had probably accumulated in the base of the canal during its period of dereliction, the upper layers being reclamation deposits.

SOU 592 Trench 1 results:
[4]: A limestone arch in the below-ground north wall of GHT was revealed. This lead to a brick vault inside the tower, built over the medieval town ditch and later canal (see figure 1). (See documentary evidence.) Natural deposits were not reached in the trench.

[5]: The line of the outer ditch north of Eastgate was preserved until recently (1975) by the line of the Southampton to Salisbury canal.

SOU 751 Results:
[6]: Part of the backfilled canal may have been observed in a trench in the northeast part of Houndwell Park (see child record). The canal was backfilled in the mid 19th century in this area.

[9]: The line of the canal ran under The Old Bond Store (60 Back of the Walls). This early 19th century building was probably built as a canal warehouse. (See separate record for The Old Bond Store).

Negative Evidence:
[10] SOU 627: No evidence for the canal was found on this evaluation excavation. It would be expected to lie east of wall 27 (which predated the canal), found at the east end of Trench 1 (see figure 2). The canal may have been destroyed by the 19th century cellar encountered there.

SOU 1161 (evaluation excavation at the rear of 66 High Street in 2001):
[12]: Late post-medieval deposits were exposed at the base of both trenches. These were probably backfills of the medieval ditch and 18th century canal, but there were no traces of these features. The earliest deposit was probably of early-to-mid-19th century date.

SOU 1260 (evaluation and excavation at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003):
HER 23/5/2016: N/S stone wall, thought to be the western retaining wall of the canal. See MSH2652.

SOU 1263 (evaluation excavation in 2003):
HER 23/5/2016: N/S robber trench, on the projected line of the stone wall found on SOU 1260 (above). See MSH2651.

SOU 1666 (evaluation excavation at former SEB Depot/NCP Car Park site, Back of the Walls in 2014):
HER 17/3/2015: This site revealed the medieval town ditches, an 18th century ?bastion, and small areas of berm/other earlier deposits. There was much 19th and 20th century disturbance. Most deposits were machined, with little hand excavation. Interim report [14] includes a map regression. According to final report [15], evidence of the canal had been entirely removed by modern disturbance. However [15] also suggests that a N-S stone wall in Trench 2, thought to be part of an 18th century bastion (MSH2241), was perhaps reused in a canal lock or wharf. (But see next…)

SOU 1666 (watching brief at the former SEB Depot, Back of the Walls in 2015):
HER 19/5/2017: The watching brief was confined to the northern area of the Site. The N/S stone wall found during the evaluation was further exposed, along with other walls. In report [20] these walls are now interpreted as being part of the canal not the bastion, supported by Doswell’s early 19th century Water Map [17]. ([20] to be read with [21].)

SOU 1699 Trenches 4 & 5 (archaeological evaluation at the Fruit and Vegetable Market, Back of the Walls, south of Bernard Street, in 2014/2015):
[16]: TRENCH 4. The earliest deposits exposed were backfills of the canal. The bottom of the canal was not reached.
TRENCH 5. A large 18th-century pit may have been contemporary (?associated) with the canal, which lay to the west.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH357 - Watching Brief on the southeast corner of Bernard Street and Back of the Walls in 1957 (Ref: SOU 357)
• ESH408 - Watching Brief on land north of Ulster House in Lower Canal Walk in 1989 (Ref: SOU 408)
• ESH583 - Watching Brief at 24 Bernard Street (ex Wheatsheaf Public House ?and 1/1a Bernard Street) in 1972/1973 (Ref: SOU 583)
• ESH592 - Excavation at God's House Tower in 1994 (Trench 1 of SOU 592) (Ref: SOU 592)
• ESH751 - Watching brief on groundworks for a water pipe in Houndwell Park in 1996 (Ref: SOU 751)
• ESH2285 - Evaluation excavation at the former SEB Depot (NCP Car Park), Back of the Walls in 2014 (Ref: SOU 1666)
• ESH2288 - Evaluation excavation at the Fruit and Vegetable Market in Back of the Walls, Bernard Street and Queensway in 2014/2015 (Ref: SOU 1669)
• ESH2320 - Watching brief at the former SEB Depot (NCP Car Park), Back of the Walls in 2015 (Ref: SOU 1666)

Related records

Associated Links

• Facebook - Southampton Memories: People and Places web pages

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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