Information for record number MWA286:
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill

Summary The Medieval parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul which is located 100m east of High Street, Coleshill.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Early medieval - Modern (801 AD - 2050 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Coleshill
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 89
(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: )
Listed Building (Grade: I)
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

 
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Mainly C14-C15. Chancel, nave, N and S aisles and porches, and W tower with spire. Rich in detail but severely restored 1868. Important monuments and C12 font.
2 There was a priest here in 1086. The earliest surviving parts, the four E bays of the arcade, date from c1340. The W tower was built c1440, and its spire was rebuilt in 1550 and again in 1888. The font is mid to late C12. The bowl is cylindrical and its side is carved with panels. The widest, towards the E, contains the Crucifixion; a large ring pierced with small holes or dots surrounds our Lord and crosses over the lower part of the figures of our Lady and St John. The other nine panels are narrow and are divided by pilasters with scalloped capitals supporting semicircular arches. Four of them contain low-relief carved standing figures of nimbed saints. The other five alternate panels are filled with scrolled foliage. The stem has a moulded top member of C14. The base is hollow-chamfered and changes to octagonal plain in the lower half.
3 Norman foundations were seen within the Decorated arcade during excavation.
4 Photo.
5 E part of nave arcades C14, chancel rebuilt C15, E wall restored 1907. Heating ducts - N aisle/nave/S aisle. C14 tombs - N and S walls; C16, C17, C18 grave markers in floor. Chancel raised above original floor level, which is shown by N and S chancel doors - steps up. Potentially excellent survival of earlier floor levels in chancel. Nave may be extensively disturbed by graves.
6
7 An archaeological observation during the installation of floodlights at the church uncovered some of the church foundations and part of a single grave. The cable trenches also revealed that concrete had been poured to a considerable depth around much of the western end of the church.
8 As an important royal centre in the Anglo-Saxon period, Coleshill was a logical place for a pre-Conquest minster church, the church being the centre for the Deanery of Arden, which may have roughly corresponded with the Coleshill Hundred extent. It is possible that the minster evolved into the Parish church.
9 A locally-produced guidebook to the church.
 
Sources

Source No: 9
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Coleshill Parish Church
Author/originator: Dr Andrew Watkins and Canon Richard Bollard
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: LBL
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1951
Page Number: 5
Volume/Sheet: Tamworth Rural
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at St Peter & St Paul's Church, Coleshill
Author/originator: Gethin B & Jones C
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card: photograph
Author/originator:
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 39 (1996)
Author/originator: Mould, C & White, R (eds)
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 39
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Archaeological Church Assessment
Author/originator: Hodder M
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Warwickshire Extensive Urban Survey Coleshill Assessment
Author/originator: B Morton
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Arch J
Author/originator:
Date: 1864
Page Number: 384
Volume/Sheet: 21
   
Images:  
St Peter and St Paul's Church, Coleshill
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1977
Click here for larger image  
 
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Coleshill
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1960s
Click here for larger image  
 
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
designation Listed Building Buildings and structures, such as bridges, that are of architectural or historical importance are placed on a statutory list. These buildings are protected by planning and conservation acts that ensure that their special features of interest are considered before any alterations are made to them.

Depending on how important the buildings are they are classed as Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II. Grade I buildings are those of exceptional interest. Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Those listed as Grade II are those buildings that are regarded of special interest.
back
source Arch J The Archaeological Journal is published by the Royal Archaeological Institute. It presents the results of archaeological and architectural survey and fieldwork on sites and monuments of all periods as well as overviews of such work. The journal is published annually. back
source LBL Listed Building List. Buildings and structures, such as bridges, that are of architectural or historical importance are placed on a list. Buildings placed on the list are protected through various planning and conservation acts which ensure that their special features of interest are considered before any alterations are made to them. The Listed Buildings List is compiled and maintained by English Heritage. It includes details of where the building is, when it was built, a description of its appearance, and any other special features. back
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
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.
more ->
back
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.
more ->
back
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.
more ->
back
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.
more ->
back
monument HOLLOW * A hollow, concave formation or place, which has sometimes been dug out. back
monument MINSTER * A complex of buildings, often within an enclosure, housing a pre-Benedictine Reform secular religious community. Now commonly used to describe the main church within such a complex, which over time attained higher status. back
monument DEANERY * The official residence of a dean. back
monument ARCH * A structure over an opening usually formed of wedge-shaped blocks of brick or stone held together by mutual pressure and supported at the sides; they can also be formed from moulded concrete/ cast metal. A component; use for free-standing structure only. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FLOODLIGHT * A metal structure supporting high powered lights. back
monument GRAVE * A place of burial. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PARISH CHURCH * The foremost church within a parish. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument FONT * A vessel, usually made of stone, which contains the consecrated water for baptism. Use a broader monument type if possible. back
monument GRAVE MARKER * A stone, slate, iron or wooden structure used to mark the site of a grave. Use only where evidence of the form is uncertain otherwise use more specific type. back
monument CROSS * A free-standing structure, in the form of a cross (+), symbolizing the structure on which Jesus Christ was crucified and sacred to the Christian faith. Use specific type where known. back
monument STEPS * A series of flat-topped structures, usually made of stone or wood, used to facilitate a person's movement from one level to another. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TOMB * A grave or sepulchre including a monument. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record