Past Projects
Brief details of some of the excavations that CADAS members have been involved with over the years. Pages containing more detailed information about some of the sites will be added in the future.
The Lunt Fort, Baginton (1965-1974) - Excavations at the Lunt were the "training ground" for many CADAS members, as excavations took place each Sunday throughout the summer months, over a number of years.
Charterhouse (1968-1987) - St Anne's Charterhouse was a Carthusian priory, one of only nine such monasteries in the British Isles, which was excavated between 1968 and 1987. The majority of the excavations were carried out by CADAS, under the auspices of the Community Programme (MSC) along with students from the Joint school of Classics and Archaeology/Archaeology Summer school, Warwick University. (source: Soden 1995)
Whitefriars (1960s) - the remains of a Carmelite Friary, now used as a museum store, which was excavated before portions were lost due to the building of the ring road.
Benedictine Priory of St Mary's and The Priory Undercroft (1966-2004) Several excavations have taken place at the Benedictine Priory, Coventry's first Cathedral. The final work was carried out as part of the Phoenix 2000 Project, which featured in Time Team and Meet the Ancestors. It was during these excavations that the remains of the Priory Undercroft were discovered, which resulted in a change to the final design plans in order to provide a permanent public display.(To read the CWN report of Time Team's return after the Undercroft discovery, click here.)
Warwick University (2002) - members responded to an appeal for help to excavate an iron-age settlement, discovered during the construction of a new sports pitch. (To read the iccoventry report of the dig, click here. For more information about this site, and Warwick University's other archaeological sites, see Campus Archaeology.)
Whitefriars Street (2004) - CADAS members assisted Northamptonshire Archaeology with this excavation, which revealed medieval walling and a number of pits, believed to be the result of back-filling in an area originally used for quarrying sand and sandstone. Along with much 13th/14th century pottery, the finds included a lot of metal, especially wire, and some stone moulds for casting metal brooches. (reported in Bulletin 399, Sept 2004)
Belgrade Plaza (Bond Street/Hill Street) (2005) - CADAS members assisted with the excavation carried out by Northamptonshire Archaeology on behalf of Oakmoor Deeley Ltd in advance of their Belgrade Plaza development. The excavation revealed evidence for occupation in the medieval suburb of Hill Street dating from the 13th century. Part of the town ditch, dug c. 1403, was excavated and produced a vast array of finds, including a large assemblage of 15th century leather footwear. Animal bones provide evidence for horn-working and tanning, an industry long associated with the area. The remains of a medieval house were found along with numerous rubbish pits. (source: Northamptonshire Archaeology information leaflet)
Coventry Watch Museum, Spon Street. 2005 Heritage Weekend - Excavation of a trial trench in the garden of the Coventry Watch Museum Project revealed a brick built tank, probably built to feed the adjacent brew house. It had subsequently been filled with bricks as well as other building debris, pottery sherds, animal bones, oyster and mussel shell, clay pipe fragments, shoe leather and oxidised metal objects. (reported in Bulletin 410, 2005)
Bayley Lane, the Mandela House car park and the Peace Garden (2005) - CADAS members assisted with the excavation carried out by the Birmingham Unit prior to the start of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum re-development scheme. (To read Birmingham Archaeology's report of the excavation, Click here)
Black Swan Terrace, Spon Street (2006) - a series of rare medieval buildings being restored by the Spon End Building Preservation Trust, (SEBPT). CADAS members were involved in the excavation of some test pits and small trenches within the properties.
Far Gosford Street (Former site of Astleys) (2006) - CADAS members assisted with the excavation carried out by Northamptonshire Archaeology on behalf of UNITE Intergrated Solutions plc. The excavation uncovered archaeology spanning 800 years of human activity. An in situ timber post, felled c.1200 AD, was found beneath the remains of the first street frontage, which dates to the late 13th century. The houses were dismantled when the city wall was constructed in the late 14th century, and a new frontage of larger timber-framed buildings was constructed. These were demolished during the Civil War, when deep entrenchments were dug to fortify Gosford Gate against the threat of Royalist attack. The discovery of remains of these entrenchments is the first time archaeology has corroborated documentary accounts of this tumultuous period of Coventry's history. (source: Northamptonshire Archaeology information leaflet)
Hill Close Victorian Gardens, Warwick (2006) - an area of pasture converted to gardens in 1845, for the use of town centre business, and now being restored by the Hill Close Gardens Trust, whose own website can be found at http://www.hillclosegardens.warwick.uk.com/. Excavations revealed some terrace steps and the base of a summerhouse, as well as providing evidence for the original surfacing of the paths.