Information for record number MWA9865:
Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne

Summary Purpose built wheelwright's workshop and blacksmith's forge which date to the Imperial period and were in existence by 1886. The yard is situated off Church Walk in Wellesbourne.
What Is It?  
Type: Wheelwrights Workshop, Forge, Blacksmiths Workshop, Yard
Period: Imperial - Modern (1751 AD - 1950 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford on Avon
District: Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 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  

2 The yard comprises a long thin piece of ground, approximatly 68 metres long, and with an average width of about 10 metres. This widens to approximatly 20 metres at the north end, where the river formerly defined the north-western boundary. The course of the river was diverted northwards in the late 20th century, removing a short river frontage that was formerly an aspect of the site. The building has an elongated rectangular plan and incorporates three distinct structures, or blocks, all connected to form a single range. This comprises a workshop to the south, an open-fronted central block and a blacksmith's forge to the north. The respective blocks are built of brick. The workshop and blacksmith's forge are shown on the 1st edition OS map. The form of construction, including the brickwork and roof structures, suggests that the forge and workshop are probably of early to mid C19th data, although not of the same phase.
3 The discovery of an intact Wheelwright's workshop locked away with all its content intact nearly 40 years ago, prompted the parish council to buy the site and contents and embark on a scheme of archaeological recording of the objects, installations and building.
4 building survey comissioned by Wellesbourne Parish council
6 Evaluation at Chedham's yard by WMFSPG in 2007. Evidence for demolished buildings was recorded, together with yard surfaces, a buried tyring platform and quantities of discarded metalwork. A brick-built sawdust pit was also uncovered in the Drying shed, and part of a possible concrete bank-revetment or wharf, adjacent to the former course of the River Dene.
7The main areas of excavation were the area where the new visitor centre was to be built and the area in front of the workshops, which was to be repaved.The excavation revealed the former yard surface and the tyring plate. A large number of finds were recovered, cleaned and catalogued. The tyring plate was lifted so as to be flush with the new landscaped yard.
8 Chedham's yard is a purpose-built wheelwright's workshop and blacksmith's forge, probably dating from the early to mid-19th-century, although not of the same phase. The building has an elongated rectangular plan, extending on a south-west to north-east axis, utilising the form and orientation of the plot. It comprises three distinct structures, or blocks, all connected to form a single range. This comprises a workshop to the south, an open-fronted central block and a blacksmith's forge to the north. The respective blocks are built of brick, although the central range has timber-built, post and lintel, open-fronted arrangement to the north west and incorporates the brick-built boundary wall in its south-east elevation. The post medieval Chedham's yard, a purpose-built wheelwright's workshop and blacksmith's forge located in the historic centre of Wellesbourne. The yard is situated off Church Walk, close to Chestnut Square. The form of construction, including the brickwork and roof structures, suggests that the forge and workshop are probably of early to mid-19th-century date, although not of the same phase.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Post-Medieval Archaeology: Post-Medieval Fieldwork in Britain and Northern Ireland in 2005
Author/originator: M Ponsford
Date: 2006
Page Number: 316-410
Volume/Sheet: 40:2
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Building Survey
Title: Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Phimester, J
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Conservation Plan
Title: Chedham's Yard Conservation Statement
Author/originator: N Bray
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Digital Data
Title: National Record for the Historic Environment (NRHE) also known as AMIE, formerly known as NMR
Author/originator: Historic England
Date: 2014-2016
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Chedham's Yard 2011, Archaeological Recording
Author/originator: Coutts C M
Date: 2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1217
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Statement of Significance: Chedham's Yard, Church Walk. Wellesbourne, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Jones, B. V.
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Chedham's Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire
Author/originator: C Coutts
Date: 2007
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Chedhams Yard
Author/originator: Jonathan Parkhouse
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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 Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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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 YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument FIELDWORK * A usually temporary earthwork or fortification, the latter constructed by military forces operating in the field. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument WHEELWRIGHTS WORKSHOP * A place where wheels and wheeled vehicles were manufactured, originally from wood. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 WHARF * A large wooden structure built alongside the water's edge where ships may lie for unloading. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument WORKSHOP * A building or room used for small scale manufacture. Use more specific term where possible. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument REVETMENT * A wall or masonry construction built for the purpose of retaining or supporting a bank of earth, wall, rampart etc. back
monument SHED * A slight structure built for shelter or storage, or for use as a workshop, either attached as a lean-to to a permanent building or separate. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument BLACKSMITHS WORKSHOP * Place where a smith works iron. May be for small scale local use or within a larger industrial complex. back
monument BOUNDARY WALL * Any wall enclosing a building or complex of buildings, eg. prisons, dockyards, factories, etc. back
monument FORGE * A building or site where bloom iron or cast iron is forged into wrought iron. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record