Coventry City Centre

The project began with a desk-based assessment which identified high potential for the preservation of archaeology associated with the Medieval period within the site. The desk based assessment noted that there had been previous development within the site which may have destroyed archaeology and recommended an evaluation to test the level of preservation. In addition, a heritage impact statement was also undertaken to assess the impact of the development upon the surrounding built heritage assets.

The evaluation demonstrated that the southern half of the site had been severely impacted in the 1930s whilst the northern half of the site was relatively undisturbed with excellent preservation of Medieval features. This allowed the planning authority to focus further work on the northern half of the site which resulted in further excavation to record the archaeology which would otherwise be destroyed.

Some of the archaeological finds recovered include leather shoes, a silver spoon, horse furniture, a writing stylus and environmental data. These finds are yet to be analysed further and the project is ongoing; a report on the project will be published in 2019.