Bablake Excavations, Co-op Site, West Orchard

September 1938

BABLAKE

Once again the Bablake is being excavated on the Corporation Street and Bablake Street site, for a new building for the Coventry Co-operative Society. The lake must at an early period have been very extensive in this district, reaching from the old Work-house in Hill Street, through Fleet Street, twenty yards up Smithford Street, and thirty yards or more up West Orchard, taking in the ground on which the Congregational Chapel now stands. I have already written of a number of these places, but think it would be wise to revive a little of what I have already said.

At West Orchard bridge a ford, over which horses and bullocks crossed the river, was found. At the rear of the Co-op buildings, east of the bridge, a road was discovered leading into Smith-ford Street, as no road previously existed to Smithford Street as now.

At the corner of West Orchard and Smithford Street, where the Co-op now stands, a tannery was found at a depth of 161/2-ft. Where the new school is built at the rear of the Congregational Chapel was a farmhouse and buildings. Under the new buildings of Fleet Street and Corporation Street was a mill foundation of the 13th century. The Bablake Church, erected in 1380, was built on part of this lake.

Coming now to the present excavations, the mill foundations running under the buildings just built in Fleet Street and Corporation Street, have extended about 15 yards, and joined up to a massive stone wall, 5-ft. wide, running across Corporation Street. In some places large timbers were found, use not known, and hundreds of tons of compressed manure tipped in to fill up the lake, or to form dams for the mills. In a number of places piles were surrounded by silt and road sweepings. Very little pottery has come to light, but from the manure scores of boots, some complete, have been found, and date 13th to 14th century. One small medal of lead was found, dated 1669, on which was a figure of the Good Samaritan attending to the wants of the man who was robbed and wounded, and on it were the words, "Go and do thou likewise." As only a part of the excavations are being done at present, the machine has ceased for a while opposite the ford before mentioned, and the last few shovels brought out a large quantity of small piles, which may be found to be foundations for a road to the mills from West Orchard.

Next month I shall give the story of the west front of the Cathedral of St. Mary, now being excavated.

Previous page: Broadgate Excavations

This page: Bablake Excavations, Co-op Site, West Orchard

Next page: Trinity Street, Bull Ring