Information for record number MWA7031:
Medieval buildings at 'Bards Walk', Wood Street Excavation

Summary Evidence for the Medieval town, including the remains of houses, was found during an archaeological excavation. The discoveries were made in Wood Street, Stratford upon Avon.
What Is It?  
Type: Town, House, Pit Cluster
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 55
(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 'New Town', planned by Bishop John of Worcester in 1196. Land was divided into plots of three 1/2 x 12 perches, the divisions of these plots still mark the boundaries of many modern properties. Around 1400 a house was built with its rear wall running E-W.
2 Excavation in 1989 uncovered traces of a Medieval important house (or group of houses) and pits on Wood Street. Evidence suggested the Medieval frontage on the north side of Wood Street was to the north of its modern line. A group of pits were found in a backyard area, the pottery within them dated from c. 1300 onwards.
1 /Excav Interim /WMFA /1990 / / / /WMBFI 7031 /Y /
2 /Excav Report /WMFA /1991 / / / /WMBFI 7031 /Y /
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: 'Bard's Walk', Wood Street, Stratford-upon-Avon: Medieval structures excavated in 1989
Author/originator: Cracknell S
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: The Prudential development, Wood Street, Stratford-upon-Avon: Interim Report
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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monument NEW TOWN * A settlement carefully planned from its inception and usually constructed in an area which was previously undeveloped. Many new towns were developed following the New Towns Act 1946. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PIT CLUSTER * A spatially discrete group of pits usually containing artefactual material with little or no accompanying evidence for structural features. back
monument WALK * A place or path for walking in a park or garden. Use more specific type where possible. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BACKYARD * A small yard attached to the rear of a house or other building. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record