Monument MPM14 - Grand Parade

Excavations to the southwest of the Garrison Church in 1972 revealed the remains of 16th-17th century out-buildings and what were thought to be the remains of the perimeter wall to the Governor's House and an associated bastion like outwork. The cobbled surface of the 18th century parade ground was also encountered, with evidence of temporary timber structures having been erected in this area during the early-19th century. Finds included a large quantity of pottery dating from the 13th-19th century, a Cowrie shell, clay pipe, and animal bone.

Excavations revealed out-buildings w. end of Garrison Church and a tunnel running E-W toward the Square Tower. Finds included a wide selection of pottery types of 13th to 19th century date and some clay tobacco pipes. Excavated 1972. [1]

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Excavations in an area of land to the southwest of the Garrison Church in 1972 revealed evidence of post-medieval activity on the site. The earliest phase related to 16th century levelling, beneath which lay the original medieval shoreline. The remains of an early to mid-16th century building probably belonged to a gatehouse complex with lodgings marked to the southwest of the Domus Dei on an early-16th century plan. This building was replaced during the mid to late-16th century by a substantial stone wall with an outwork, probably a perimeter wall to the new Governor's House. During the c. late-16th century the wall and outwork were removed and a building with ovens for smelting copper was constructed on the site. This building was demolished/destroyed around 1700 and a cobbled parade ground was laid. In the early-19th century timber structures and a timber palisade were erected on the parade ground, possibly during the Napoleonic Wars. The parade ground was then levelled and resurfaced.

Finds included a large quantity of pottery dating from the 13th-19th century, a Cowrie shell, clay pipe, and animal bone.

A mid-late 16th century tunnel was also revealed in the southern half of the site (see MPM1721).



Early-mid 16th century building

An early-mid 16th century building was represented by part of a mortar floor and a very short length of poorly bonded wall foundation. A plan dated 'before 1540', but which is thought to date to post 1508, suggests that the building belonged to part of a group of out-buildings shown to the southwest of the Domus Dei. Lansdowne's manuscript of 1581 refers to these buildings as 'The Gatehouse with the lodginges'. The mortar floor and wall foundation probably belonged to the southern-most part of the lodgings. This building would only have been in existence until the c. mid-16th century when a substantial masonry wall, probably the perimeter wall to the Governor's House, was constructed on top of it (see below).


Perimeter wall & outwork

A substantial masonry wall, probably the perimeter wall to the Governor's House, ran north-south before turning 90° and running off in an easterly direction. The wall had been removed to foundation level. It would have dated to the c. mid-late 16th century, as the wall had been built over an early-mid 16th century out-building (see above).

An irregularly shaped outwork, similar to a bastion in form, had been added to the wall. The remains of the outwork consisted of part of its south wall and a robbed out foundation trench to the north and west. This structure may have related to when the church and out-buildings were used as an ammunition store between c. 1540 and c. 1582.

A tunnel revealed to the south was contemporary with these structures (see MPM1721). Both the wall and outwork had been removed by 1590, when a cluster of small buildings are shown in this area.


Late-16th century/17th century building (Smith's workshop)

The mortar floor of an insubstantial building had been laid over the mid to late-16th century outwork. The remains of this building were represented by stone foundations on its east side, a masonry buttress to the south, and at least two post holes packed with stone and brick. Small post holes and a narrow irregular foundation trench indicated that the remainder of the south and east sides had been constructed from timber and wattle. A hearth situated in the centre of the southern half of the building overlapped a large pit which contained the remains of a series of ovens. Fragments of copper recovered from the fill of the pit suggested the ovens were used to smelt copper, and that the building had been used as a smith's workshop during its latter stages. The material used to level the floor had been brought in from another site, possibly inside the old Domus Dei complex, as it contained sherds of 14th and 15th century pottery. The sherds included fragments of a Rouen jug dating to c. 1300 (first example found in Portsmouth), and several fragments of a medieval polychrome jug from south-west France. The building was demolished/destroyed c. 1675-1700, when a new wall was constructed. Fragments of Delft ware dating to c. 1700 were recovered from the destruction layers.


Parade Ground/Wooden buildings

A layer of flint cobbles laid across the site around 1700 represented the surface of the early parade ground. Fragments of clay pipe dating to this period were recovered from the levelling layer. Around 1800 a number of sturdy wooden structures and a wooden wall/palisade appear to have been erected on the site, represented by post holes, foundation trenches and surface drains which had been dug into the parade ground. The exact function of the structures is unclear, but it has been suggested that they may relate to the construction of emergency quartering of troops or French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars. The posts were later removed and the area levelled and resurfaced with gravel. The parade ground was resurfaced several times during its existence, and the area was turfed during the latter half of the 20th century.

The excavation archive is held by Portsmouth Museum Service under the Accession number: 1973/997

[2]

<1> Portsmouth City Council, n/a, Portsmouth City SMR Cards, SZ69NW13 (Index). SPM1.

<2> Fox, R, 1972?, Archaeological Excavations at Grand Parade Old Portsmouth 1972 (Unpublished document). SPM367.