Monument record MDO19315 - 14 High Street, Christchurch ( site W37); late medieval stone structure

Excavation at 14 High Street, Christchurch, during 1982 (site W37), revealed evidence for a substantial stone structure at the High Street end of the site, cut through slots for a medieval timber building. The building may have been 5m wide x 7m long, fronting on to High Street and contained re-used ecclesiastical masonry in its fabric. it probably dates from the 15th-16th centuries, following the dissolution of the Priory. It would have been a grand structure for Christchurch at that time, possibly with a ground floor vault supported by buttresses.

Wessex Archaeological Committee conducted an excavation at 14 High St in 1982 (site W37) in advance of the Saxon Square development. The results were subsequently published in PDNHAS volume 105 (1). Excavations located two buttresses on an east-west wall 6m east of the present street frontage. Both contained re-used finely tooled architectural fragments which may have come from the Priory. This 15th-17th century building appears to have been 5m wide and 7m long, fronting onto the High Street.

The excavation revealed evidence for a substantial stone structure at the High Street end of the site, cut through slots for a medieval timber building. The surviving remains consisted of two stone buttresses on the north side of an E-W wall [24], which appeared to turn at this point to the south 6m east of the present High Street frontage. The building dates from a time when the High Street frontage was further west. Both buttresses were contained within a 3.15m long E-W construction trench [23] which cut vertically through the edge of the Saxon town defensive ditch to a depth of 0.44m and a width of 0.60m. The western buttress [33] was built against the west end of this trench and measured 0.9m long, 0.6m wide, and survived to a depth of only 1 course of limestone and ironstone blocks.

The eastern buttress [32] survived in three courses to a depth of 0.55m and was otherwise similar to [33]. Both buttress contained re-used finely tooled limestone architectural fragments. The lower course of [32] in particular contained a very fine 13th century window moulding. The top of this buttress was partially sealed by a slate levelling course.

The foundations of associated wall [24] consisted of one course of limestone blocks 0.7m wide and sitting on the natural gravel. It appeared to be continuing south, forming the NE corner of this externally buttressed building a N-S shallow cut [67] seemed to follow the line of this wall further south to mark the eastern wall of the building.

Four post-holes and a pit may be associated with this building.

The building may have been 5m wide x 7m long, fronting on to High Street and contained re-used ecclesiastical masonry in its fabric. It probably dates from the 15th-16th centuries, following the dissolution of the Priory. It would have been a grand structure for Christchurch at that time, possibly with a ground floor vault supported by buttresses. It continued in use until the late 18th century in association with a continuing level of activity in the rear plot comprising a few post-holes and a number of pits. The building was finally demolished to make way for the brick building known in the 19th century as the Green Tree Inn.

<1> Davies, S M, 1983, Excavations at Christchurch, Dorset, 1981 to 1983; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 46-53 (Article in serial). SWX4065.

<2> National Monuments Record, Unknown, 14 HIGH STREET (Index). SWX9095.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 884819 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 3 2023 12:06PM