Monument MPM1115 - Brick Chamber/Cellar

Mid to late 19th century barrel-vaulted chamber/cellar discovered beneath the pavement outside George Court by workmen in 2009. The chamber/cellar consisted of two rooms, each with a passage leading off.

A brick chamber was discovered outside nos. 13, 14 and 15 George Court by workmen replacing lamp posts in 2009. Archaeological recording was carried out by Southampton Archaeology Unit, who made observations from a hole in the north-west corner of the chamber. Prior to the Second World War, No. 32 High Street stood close to the site. During the mid-19th century No. 32 was occupied by a naval outfitter, and then a lodging house. From 1871 onwards the premises were in use as a bank. It is possible that the chamber had been used as a coal store, or was associated with the bank which formerely stood on the site.

The chamber (cellar 16) had barrel vaulted ceilings, and consisted of two rooms, each with a passageway leading off. It measured more than 1.43m high from the hole in the pavement through which the observations were made, to the top of the rubble inside. There were 15 courses of bricks, indicating the cellar was at least 1.20m high to the springer. The bricks were bonded by lime mortar and had three or four coats of whitewash on the inside. They measured 230m by 110mm by 70mm, which would suggest a mid to late 19th century date. The chamber/cellar had been partially backfilled by a mixture of rubble, brick and soil, which contained a late 19th/20th century horseshoe. The rubble was probably from Second World War bombing.

Cellar Rooms:

Room 1 had four walls (9, 14, 15 & 17), with a passageway (6) to the south, and an opening to Room 4 to the east. The northern limit of the cellar was probably represented by wall 9, the length of which was not determined, but it was greater than the width of the room, which measured 1.31m. It was of stretcher bond construction. The eastern wall of the room (wall 14) measured 1.31m wide by 0.23m thick. An opening to Room 4 was set within the wall, with a supporting limestone lintel (5), probably a Purbeck stone slab. The lintel had tool marks, and was approximately the same thickness as the bricks (70mm), by 830mm long. The brickwork was a mixture of headers and stretchers to fit the remaining space. The brickwork of the southern wall (17) was similar to that of wall 9. At it's western end was a vaulted passageway (6), which probably measured 0.61m wide. It is not known how the two relate to each other. The western wall of the room (wall 15), had the same stretcher bond brickwork as the other walls of Room 1. The wall probably formed the western limit of the cellar, and was thought to have continued down the western side of the passageway. The vaulted roof (11) was 243mm thick, and was formed of two rings of brickwork. The bricks were laid north-south.

Room 4 was the same width as Room 1 (1.31m), and consisted of three walls (19, 20 & 21) and a vaulted roof (23) with a passageway (22) to the east. It's northern wall (19) was of the same stretcher bond construction as wall 9. The southern wall (20), was also built of stretcher bond. The opening to a passageway (22) was set within the eastern wall. The bricks which made up the vaulted roof (23) were laid east-west.

Passages:

Passageway 6 had a vaulted ceiling, and was of the same build as Room 1. It was probably 0.61m wide, and continued for an unknown distance to the south. It was completely blocked by rubble.

Passageway 22 was similar to 6 and was also 0.61m wide. It's length and function could not be determined as it was completely blocked by rubble.

Accession No: 2009/102

Elliott, G L & Russel, A D, 2009, A Subterranean Chamber at George Court, High Street, Portsmouth (Unpublished document). SPM128.