The spirit of Coventry Spain All posts by this member | 1 of 24 Mon 13th Feb 2012 2:45pm Member: Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:81 Does anybody know with all the redevelopment going on round the city, are they planning to do anymore archaeology on the site that will be demolished? |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
Greeny Coventry All posts by this member | 2 of 24 Mon 13th Feb 2012 11:42pm Member: Joined Jan 2012 Total posts:47 Not certain, but I think if you get in touch with the Herbert Art Gallery/Museum they should be able to let you know.
Apart from the Charterhouse dig of the mid-80s I also helped on the Bayley Lane dig behind where Browns is now. Excavated the Red Ditch and discovered a wall of Coventry Castle (which had just been a rumour up until then).
Also West Orchard (NOT OrchardS as it seems to have been re-named !) where, when they excavated the old car park they found complete streets with cobbles and pavements underneath. The developers had just concreted over the rubble preserving the old street layout.
Nothing like volunteering on a dig to give you a sense of belonging, and just incredibly interesting too ! |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
dutchman Spon End All posts by this member | 3 of 24 Tue 14th Feb 2012 1:38am Member: Joined Mar 2010 Total posts:2975 There are cobbled streets all over Coventry buried under a thin layer of tarmac. In some cases they still have tramlines embedded in them! |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
Greeny Coventry All posts by this member | 4 of 24 Tue 14th Feb 2012 9:35am Member: Joined Jan 2012 Total posts:47 It's like a ghost city underneath the current one ! ![]() |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
flapdoodle Coventry All posts by this member | 5 of 24 Tue 14th Feb 2012 2:51pm Member: Joined Nov 2010 Total posts:884 This sort of stuff happens when there's any sort of development, and usually if there's any possibility of finding something interesting. You can see the reports on the planning portal, as they have to submit them as part of planning applications - there's an extensive one for the Far Gosford Street area online somewhere. I believe developers have to allow archaeologists a certain amount of time before they can proceed... If we see a lot more city centre development, then I guess we'll see a lot more digs, although apparently some sites have been rebuilt so many times evidence of earlier settlement has been destroyed...
Interesting comments about the cobbled roads still surviving. I don't suppose you know where, Dutchman?
I know there's still a fair amount of the city wall's ruins left underground, especially around the Cheylesmore Manor house area, and probably elsewhere in the city centre.
Didn't the recent dig at Bond Street unearth a fair amount? And the dig on the Herbert Art Gallery site unearthed some Roman artefacts? Some people believe Coventry was a Roman settlement, but apart from the Lunt, I've never read any compelling evidence.
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Archaeology around Coventry | |
dutchman Spon End All posts by this member | 6 of 24 Tue 14th Feb 2012 3:19pm Member: Joined Mar 2010 Total posts:2975 On 14th Feb 2012 2:51pm, flapdoodle said:
Interesting comments about the cobbled roads still surviving. I don't suppose you know where, Dutchman?
Check any sidestreet in an older area of Coventry. I personally witnessed Hawkins Road in Earlsdon being tarmaced over in the 1950s so the connecting roads (Collingwood Road, Ludlow Road, etc) must have been too.
In Doe Bank Lane in Spon End the cobbles can still be seen on either side of the road as the tarmac was never extended to cover the gutters. I suspect that's true for many other side streets as well.
When the junction of Hales Street and White Street was last dug up both the cobbles and prewar tramlines were found completely intact underneath.
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Archaeology around Coventry | |
The spirit of Coventry Spain All posts by this member Thread starter | 7 of 24 Wed 15th Feb 2012 8:29pm Member: Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:81 On 13th Feb 2012 11:42pm, Greeny said:
Not certain, but I think if you get in touch with the Herbert Art Gallery/Museum they should be able to let you know.
Apart from the Charterhouse dig of the mid-80s I also helped on the Bayley Lane dig behind where Browns is now. Excavated the Red Ditch and discovered a wall of Coventry Castle (which had just been a rumour up until then).
Also West Orchard (NOT OrchardS as it seems to have been re-named !) where, when they excavated the old car park they found complete streets with cobbles and pavements underneath. The developers had just concreted over the rubble preserving the old street layout.
Nothing like volunteering on a dig to give you a sense of belonging, and just incredibly interesting too !
Hello Greeny, The Herbert has come a long way since I left the city. It's been a valuable resource for me over the last few years. I remember the Bayley Lane dig as there were some toilets they demolished to make way for Browns and I remember hearing that they found some interesting stuff. I'm guessing that the developers were in a slight rush to finish the roads, that's why they didn't bother digging them up?
It would be fantastic to come back for a weekend and dig on the city of Coventry, it would be wonderful. It would be very interesting for me as I've always been interested with digging and archaeology. Retracing you ancestors in a way!
Thanks for the info Greeny
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Archaeology around Coventry | |
The spirit of Coventry Spain All posts by this member Thread starter | 8 of 24 Wed 15th Feb 2012 8:35pm Member: Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:81 On 15th Feb 2012 12:20am, NeilsYard said:
It's true ...though I never knew it myself! Somewhere to mark on the 'Do To' list
You will have to make a photo album of all the "ghost streets" from the hidden past!! It would be interesting to see what is still knocking around these day! |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
NeilsYard Coventry All posts by this member | 9 of 24 Sun 17th Jun 2012 10:08pm Member: Joined Aug 2010 Total posts:2867 Just reviving this on the topic of old Cobblestones - anyone visiting Providence Street in Earlsdon will currently see - thanks to the surface breakup - several areas of exposed old Cobbles. Look around the area of the RSPCA shop. |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
mcsporran Coventry & Cebu All posts by this member | 10 of 24 Wed 4th Dec 2013 4:33pm Member: Joined Oct 2013 Total posts:474 |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
AD | 11 of 24 Wed 4th Dec 2013 7:07pm |
Midland Red Cherwell All posts by this member | 12 of 24 Fri 6th Dec 2013 1:19pm Moderator: Joined Jan 2010 Total posts:5606 Mods note : This thread was developing into an item about Doe Bank Lane (and its surrounding area), and therefore the relative posts have been copied or moved into a separate thread entitled "Doe Bank Lane", in order that this thread can stay on subject, ie Archaeology ![]() |
Archaeology around Coventry | |
Cam-at-Nailcote Berkswell All posts by this member | 13 of 24 Wed 22nd Jan 2014 2:18pm Member: Joined Jan 2014 Total posts:1 On 14th Feb 2012 1:38am, dutchman said:
In some cases they still have tramlines embedded in them!
I would absolutely love to see this!
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Archaeology around Coventry | |
new26 Coventry All posts by this member | 14 of 24 Wed 22nd Jan 2014 7:08pm Member: Joined Feb 2013 Total posts:11 Outside the Old Fire Station in 2002.
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Archaeology around Coventry | |
dutchman Spon End All posts by this member | 15 of 24 Wed 22nd Jan 2014 7:20pm Member: Joined Mar 2010 Total posts:2975 The cobbles and tramlines are still there I believe, reburied under new tarmac?
It's amazing what lies under Coventry's hastily-laid road surfaces. There's a concrete box of some description under Albany Road which I assume had something to do with the neighbouring technical college. It was exposed during recent resurfacing work. |
Archaeology around Coventry |