Long-lost section of Coventry's medieval wall is rediscovered - under a busy car park

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Long-lost section of Coventry's medieval wall is rediscovered - under a busy car park

Postby dutchman » Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:38 pm

The discovery was made during survey before building work starts on student development in Fairfax Street

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A long-lost part of Coventry's medieval wall has been rediscovered - under a busy city centre car park.

Archaeologists made the discovery during a routine survey before construction starts on a major student development in Fairfax Street.

Specialists using diggers and handtools uncovered the section of sandstone wall under the tarmac in Cox Street car park, between the ring road and the sports centre.

The car park was previously home to Priory Baths.

The newly-found stretch would have connected with Swanswell Gatehouse which still stands today next to Lady Herbert's Garden.

Work on the walls which protected the city first started in the 14th century.

The walls measured 2.2 miles around, were 12 feet high and were made from two layers of red sandstone.

They were maintained into the 17th century and were repaired during the English Civil War of the 1640s.

In 1662, after the restoration of the monarchy, in revenge for the support Coventry gave to the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, the walls were demolished on the orders of King Charles II.

There were once 12 gates, but only three survive today - Swansell, Cook Street and Whitefriars, along with small stretches of the wall itself at various points.

It's not clear what will happen to the newly-found section, but the wall and gates are classed as a scheduled ancient monument - this gives the site protection from any unauthorised change.

Surveying work is currently underway before the construction of the £50m CODE student accommodation development begins.

Planning documents approved by Coventry City Council show that developers will build four towers, ranging from six to 21-storeys high, that will house 1,000 students.

The plans also show that the ground floor will be used as retail units.

The company were hoping to start building work at the site in April with the project being completed by Summer 2018.

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Re: Long-lost section of Coventry's medieval wall is rediscovered - under a busy car park

Postby dutchman » Tue Feb 07, 2017 6:11 am

Could the remains of a 700-year-old medieval tower now be uncovered under Coventry city centre car park?

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After uncovering a stretch of long-lost medieval wall in Coventry, archaeologists are now hoping to uncover the foundations of one of its towers.

Last week experts from the University of Leicester - the same people who found the bones of King Richard III under a car-park in Leicester - uncovered part of the 700-year-old sandstone wall in Cox Street car park off Fairfax Street.

Now they’re hoping to uncover the base of one of 32 towers that lined the 2.2 miles of city fortifications from the 14th to 16th centuries. There were also 12 gates, of which only two survive.

Nathan Flavell, the site’s supervisor, told the Telegraph that the area they’re digging was most likely the foundations and core of a wall which connected Swanswell Gate with one of the towers.

He said: “There’s a nice section going east to west. The north to south section is not as well preserved.”

He said the wall may have once protected fish farmed at the site from thieves after finding evidence of water-based plants deep in the ground.

Mr Flavell said: “It was supposed to enclose St Osburg’s Pool.

“Inside the pool there’s not really a great deal of occupation, then outside is where they’re dumping everything.”

He added that they had made some discoveries during the dig, but nothing like tools or coins.

He added: “We haven’t uncovered that much. We’ve uncovered a couple of pieces of pottery - Tudor green glaze, which seems to me to be from when the wall was being built.”

However the foundations and remnants of plumbing from buildings associated with the former Priory Street baths nearby were also found.

In 1894 the Priory Street swimming baths were opened on the site of Cox Street car park and stood until they were demolished in the late 1960s after suffering severe bomb damage during World War Two.

Despite pressure from campaigners to keep the wall on show, Mr Flavell said it would be covered over as part of the construction of a 21-storey student block, although records will be kept to show where it was.

He said: “It just allows us to preserve it. The reports, photos and drawings will show what’s here.

“There will be a record so that people can refer to.”

Mr Flavell added that the investigation would also help developers come up with an “engineering solution” to help preserve the building by not building on or through it.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, who has campaigned to have the wall preserved, told the Telegraph that the developers were adjusting plans to accommodate the discovery.

He said: “The area will be exposed, recorded and studied, then preserved in the ground.

“We wanted it to be opened up but were advised that it would be the wrong things to do because of deterioration.”

He added that there were plans to put up a plaque at the site and have part of the new building following the line of the wall.

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