Excavations at Medieval Cripplegate, London: Archaeology After the Blitz, 1946-68

170 Pages·2001·26.8 MB·English

by  Gustav Milne, Nathalie Cohen

III&...--
EXCAVATIONS AT MEDIEVAL
CRIPPLEGATE, LONDON
Archaeology after the Blitz, 1946—68
Basedon theworkofProfessorWF Grimesfor theRoman and MediaevalLondon Excavation Council,
andrelatedresearchby theMuseum ofLondon andby University CollegeLondon
Gustav Milne
with Nathalie Cohen
and with contributions by Tony Dyson, Jacqueline Pearce and Mike Webber
illustrations by Susan Banks
XX
ENGLISH HERITAGE
2001
ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORTS

Contents
List ofIllustrations vi Company Halls 66
Acknowledgements ix A settlement development pattern for medieval
Abbreviations x Cripplegate 66
Summary xi
Resume xii 4 Parish church
Zusammenfassung xiii Church archaeology in the City 69
St Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury 70
St Alban's, Wood Street byNatalie Cohen 86
1 War and peace St Alphage and Elsing Spital 100
Medieval archaeology after the Blitz 1 St Mary Elsing 105
RMLEC excavations in Cripplegate 3
5 Townscape and topography
2 LondonWall Using RMLEC data for topographical studies ... 119
Revealing the City's medieval defences 9 The archaeology ofmicro- and macro-topography 119
City ditch with Mike Webber 9 Saxon street plans 120
Pottery sequence from the City ditch at Fields and streets within the walls 120
Cripplegate Buildings (WFG18) Dating the Cripplegate streetscape 122
byJacquelinePearce 19 Churches and settlement expansion 126
Bastions: Blla, B12, B13, B14 and B15 24 The tradition ofa Saxon palace at Cripplegate
Discussion 30 with TonyDyson 127
City Defences viewed from Cripplegate 35 Dating the wards 129
3 Houses and halls byNathalie Cohen 6 SiMonumentum Requiris, circumspice
and GustavMilne Cripplegate's medieval monuments 133
Secularmedieval buildings in Cripplegate 37 Archaeology after the Blitz: excavation or
Sunken-featured buildings at Addle Street 38 evaluation? 133
Sunken-featured buildings in the City 39
Town House: Neville's Inn byNathalie Cohen ... 40 Bibliography 137
Brewers' Hall byNathalie Cohen 45
Barber Surgeons' Hall byNathalie Cohen 53 Index 141
Illustrations
Frontispiece London after the Blitz: an archaeological opportunity.
Fig 1 ModusOperandi: workmen open up a Fig 32 Internal view ofBastion 14 31
new trench 2 Fig 33 Junction ofBastion 14 and Roman city
Fig 2 City archaeology in 1947 3 wall 32
Fig 3 City ofLondon, and Cripplegate Fig 34 West-east section below Bastion 14 and
study area 4 interpretation 33
Fig 4 Cripplegate study area related to 1940 Fig 35 Schematic external elevation of
street pattern 5 Bastion 14 34
Fig 5 Cripplegate study area related to modern Fig 36 External view ofBastion 14 in 1950 34
street pattern 7 Fig 37 External face ofBastion 14 showing a
Fig 6 Section ofexternal City wall south of blocked arrow loop 34
Bastion 14 9 Fig 38 Plan oftrenches on Addle Street site 37
Fig 7 East (internal) face of City wall 10 Fig 39 Section across hut pit 1, Addle Street 38
Fig 8 Cripplegate study area showing RMLEC Fig 40 Trench B, Addle Street 38
excavations ofmedieval defences 11 Fig 41 Posthole in Hut pit 1, Addle Street ... 39
Fig 9 General viewof RMLEC excavations at Fig 42 Comparative plans ofsunken-featured
Fore Street 12 buildings 40
Fig 10 Isometric projection ofexternal face of Fig 43 Neville's Inn in 1947: general view 41
City wall and ditch 13 Fig 44 Falcon Square site in 1956 42
Fig 11 North end of silted-up Late Saxon City Fig 45 Phase plans, Neville's Inn site 44
ditch 13 Fig 46 Composite north-south section across
Fig 12 Composite section across Cityditches 14-15 the Neville's Inn site 46-7
Fig 13 Composite section acrossCity ditches 16-17 Fig 47 Neville's Inn: southern edge ofthe
Fig 14 Section through City ditch sequence on medieval complex 48
WFG1 and interpretation showing later Fig 48 Neville's Inn: blocked doorway 48
medieval ditch cutting Saxon ditch ... 18 Fig 49 Neville's Inn: stone steps 48
Fig 15 City ditch profile below floor of Bastion Fig 50 Neville's Inn: stonesteps (anotherview) 48
14 and base ofRoman wall 18 Fig 51 Neville's Inn: stone-lined well in
Fig 16 City ditch sequence sealed beneath Trench 1 49
Bastion 14 19 Fig 52 Neville's Inn: chalk-lined cess pit 49
Fig 17 Profile ofinfilled late sixteenth-century Fig 53 Neville's Inn: general view ofRMLEC
City ditch 19 excavations 50
Fig 18 Interpretative drawings of Saxon, medieval Fig 54 Neville's Inn: detail ofbrick floor 51
and post-medieval City ditches 20 Fig 55 Neville's Inn: west-east section through
Fig 19 Saxon, medieval and post-medieval City blocked west gateway 52-3
ditches shown schematically 21 Fig 56 Neville's Inn: general view of
Fig 20 Profile oflate seventeenth-century City excavations 54
ditch 22 Fig 57 Neville's Inn: blocked west gateway and
Fig 21 Sixteenth to seventeenth-century western corner ofturret 55
metalworking ceramics 23 Fig 58 Neville's Inn: section through blocked
Fig 22 Plan ofBastion 11a showing relationship west gateway 55
to Roman interval tower and wall 24 Fig 59 Neville's Inn: east-west section through
Fig 23 Eastern and western arms ofBastion 11a blocked west gateway 56
in 1965 24 Fig 60 Neville's Inn: blocking ofgateway 56
Fig 24 Eastern and western arms ofBastion 1la Fig 61 Neville's Inn: lower rubble fill ofwest
fully exposed 25 gateway 56
Fig 25 Detail ofwestern arm ofBastion 11a 25 Fig 62 Neville's Inn: north-south beamslot
Fig 26 Bastion 12: excavations in 1947 26 across west gateway 56
Fig 27 Bastion 12, north-west face 27 Fig 63 Phase plans ofBrewers' Hall site 57-8
Fig 28 Bastion 12 in relation to bottom of Fig 64 General view ofBrewers' Hall
present-day Barbican lake and ground excavations 59
surface 27 Fig 65 Brewers' Hall: tile-built fireplace 59
Fig 29 Bastion 12: knapped flint course at Fig 66 Brewers' Hall: chalk foundation south of
base 28 tile-built hearth 59
Fig 30 Internal view of Bastion 13 29 Fig 67 Brewers' Hall: sill ofblocked window and
Fig 31 Base ofBastion 13 30 wall beyond 59
Fig 68 Brewers' Hall: brick floor north end of Fig 95 St Alban's church: south side ofburnt-out
Trench A 60 church prior to demolition, showing
Fig 69 Barber Surgeons' Hall: layout ofRMLEC blocked south aisle wall 90
trenches 60 Fig 96 St Alban's church: excavations in
Fig 70 Barber Surgeons' Hall: excavations below northern churchyard 90
floor ofruined seventeenth-centuryhall 61 Fig 97 St Alban's church: excavations in
Fig 71 Barber Surgeons' Hall: excavations in south-western angle ofnave 90
seventeenth-century hall 62 Fig 98 StAlban's: phase plan by RMLEC ... 91
Fig 72 Plans ofBarber Surgeons' Hall 64 Fig 99 StAlban's: plan sequence to show
Fig 73 Barber Surgeons' Hall: elevations of suggested development ofchurch 92
remains ofseventeenth-centuryhall... 65 Fig 100 StAlban's: plan sequence to show
Fig 74 Ruins ofSt MaryAldermanbury suggested changes in layout ofchurch 93
(foreground) and St Albans c 1960 ... 69 Fig 101 St Alban's church: RMLEC excavations
Fig 75 St Mary Aldermanbury: burnt out church looking south 94
in 1956 71 Fig 102 St Alban's church: north and south corners
Fig 76 St Mary Aldermanbury: nave, south aisle ofnave and chancel wall foundations 95
and east end 72 Fig 103 St Alban's church: detail ofnorth-east
Fig 77 St Mary Aldermanbury: church awaiting corner ofnave 95
demolition and transportation 73 Fig 104 St Alban's church: east end ofsouth
Fig 78 St Mary Aldermanbury: deep trench chapel showing foundation arch 96
excavation in nave 74 Fig 105 St Alban's church: arched foundation
Fig 79 St Mary Aldermanbury: sequence of supporting south wall ofsouth chapel 97
development 77 Fig 106 St Alban's church: junction ofsouth
Fig 80 St Mary Aldermanbury: junction of chapel and later south aisle wall 97
foundations oftwelfth-century nave with Fig 107 St Alban's church: east end ofsouth
chancel 78 chapel showing foundation arch and
Fig 81 St MaryAldermanbury: medieval scar ofarcade respond 98
foundation 79 Fig 108 St Alban's church: general view of
Fig 82 St Mary Aldermanbury: gravel and RMLEC excavations 98
chalk foundation offirst masonry Fig 109 St Alban's church: late medieval pier and
church 79 tower foundations 99
Fig 83 St Mary Aldermanbury: foundations of Fig 110 St Alban's church: interior showing
late seventeenth-century church 80 medieval masonry in north aisle wall 100
Fig 84 St Mary Aldermanbury: medieval arched Fig 111 Northern facade ofthe second church
foundations for tower 80 ofStAlphage 101
Fig 85 St MaryAldermanbury: medieval arched Fig 112 Remains ofthe church ofSt Alphage 102
foundations for tower 80 Fig 113 Medieval masonry with knapped flint
Fig 86 St MaryAldermanbury: multiphase plan courses on north face ofSt Alphage 102
showing sequence ofmedieval walls and Fig 114 Medieval masonry on north face of
later features 81 St Alphage, partially obscured by later
Fig 87 St Mary Aldermanbury: medieval tiled brick walling 103
floor 82 Fig 115 Removal ofthe brickwall in Fig 114,
Fig 88 St MaryAldermanbury: token reburial revealing further medieval masonry in
ofhuman longbones in a late medieval north face [ofSt Alphage] 103
charnel pit 83 Fig 116 Surviving section ofthe City wall in
Fig 89 St MaryAldermanbury: fragments of St Alphage churchyard 104
reused late medieval grave slabs 84 Fig 117 Position ofStAlphage in relation to
Fig 90 St Mary Aldermanbury: 1940 street plan 104
seventeenth-century pier over Fig 118 Surviving tower and vestibule ofSt Mary
medieval south wall 85 Elsing in relation to StAlphage 105
Fig 91 St MaryAldermanbury: section through Fig 119 Part ofnorthern facade ofSt Alphage 106
south wall oftwelfth-century church 86 Fig 120 Earlynineteenth-century illustration of
Fig 92 St MaryAldermanbury: base oftower of arches in porch and belfry ofSt Alphage,
late seventeenth-century church 86 and plan ofSion College and vicinity 107
Fig 93 St MaryAldermanbury: eighteenth and Fig 121 West side ofStAlphage LondonWall. 109
nineteenth-century brick-lined vaults Fig 122 Base ofmedieval tower entrance to later
cutting medieval foundations 87 parish church ofStAlphage 110
Fig 94 St Alban's church: west end of Fig 123 Plan ofsurviving remains oftower of
burnt-out church prior to demolition 89 St Mary Elsing Ill
Fig 124 Surviving remains ofSt Mary Elsing, Fig 137 St Mary Elsing: base ofthe main arch on
showing remains ofpossible pre-priory the survivingwest wall 118
building Ill Fig 138 St Mary Elsing: reset plinth below arch
Fig 125 St Mary Elsing: view ofeast wall 112 supporting north side oftower 118
Fig 126 St Mary Elsing: mouldings at base of Fig 139 St Mary Elsing: doorway into stair turret
doorway 112 at north-east corner oftower 118
Fig 127 St MaryElsing: blocked arch in east wall 112 Fig 140 Plan ofcore ofSaxon City in cAD900
Fig 128 Surviving remains ofSt Mary Elsing: shown in relation to later medieval
elevation ofeast wall 113 street plan 121
Fig 129 Surviving remains ofSt Mary Elsing: Fig 141 Dating the medieval settlement expansion
elevation ofwest wall showing scar in the Cripplegate area 123
ofspiral staircase 113 Fig 142 Suggested development ofstreet pattern
Fig 130 Surviving remains ofSt Mary Elsing: and establishment ofchurches in
elevation ofnorth wall 114 Cripplegate 124
Fig 131 St Mary Elsing: scar ofthe spiral stair, Fig 143 Sites ofchurches in Cripplegate in relation
outer face ofwest wall from above — 114 to 1940 street pattern 125
Fig 132 St Mary Elsing: scar of the spiral stair, Fig 144 Sites ofchurches that might be associated
outer face ofwest wall, remains of with eleventh-century Scandinavian
ascending treads 114 settlement in the City 126
Fig 133 St Mary Elsing: internal view offlint-faced Fig 145 Schematic representation oflate medieval
walling above fourteenth-century Wards ofLondon 130
doorway 115 Fig 146 Bastion 12 in 1947 134
Fig 134 St Mary Elsing: the founder's tomb? 116 Fig 147 Bastion 12 in 1990 135
Fig 135 St Mary Elsing: remains ofa blocked Fig 148 Consolidated remains of
window 117 fourteenth-century tower from
Fig 136 St Mary Elsing: arch supporting north Elsing Spital 135
wall oftower 117 Fig 149 Remains ofthe Elsing Spital in 1996 135