Information for record number MWA1954:
Possible Site of Church of St Helen's, Castle Park

Summary One of two possible sites for the Church of St Helen's dating to the Medieval period. A Church appears on Speed's map of 1610 and building foundations have been discovered here. The outline of a Church like building is sometimes visible as a cropmark in the Castle Park.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 28 64
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A church building is marked at roughly SP2864 on Speed's map of 1610. Foundations have been uncovered at SP2864 and in dry weather the outline of a building is traceable on the lawn. Some of the the stones used in the flower borders of the Castle Park are worked, and one or two are obviously fragments of mullions with tracery, which confirms the probability of a church. There may be some connection between St Helena and the House of Knights Templars (PRN 1960) which is known to have been situated in this locality.
2 The foundations mentioned above are likely to be the result of garden landscaping. A more probable location for the church is the cropmark recorded to the south of the site (See WA 7858).
3 A map of 1690, although somewhat schematic, implies that this was the area of the chapel, which is still shown, and therefore probably the Templar manor. This is backed up by the fact that a building and plot, further south on the same map, look similar to the shape of the other proposed site (MWA 7858) when compared to the excellent air photo. The other site does apper to have been moated but this isn't a problem as Speed shows a large House in this area. Speed calls it St Helen's, Hollar St Helena (in error?). No one else mentions dedication so it is considered possible that Speed was wrong.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 39SE2
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1951
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 39SE2
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Palmer N J
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
technique Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BORDER * A strip of ground forming a fringe to a garden. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument LAWN * A flat, and usually level area of mown and cultivated grass, attached to a house. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record