Monument MPM1661 - Quay Wall, Old Gunwharf

Part of the quay wall to the Old Gunwharf built 1709-1715, revealed during a watching brief in 2002. The remains of a timber cofferdam were also observed along the seaward edge of the wall. Rubble, probably representing badly damaged sections of the wall, was also observed during an archaeological evaluation in 1997.

Part of the quay wall to the Old Gunwharf was revealed during a watching brief in 2002. The wall, built c1709-1715, had been constructed on a timber lattice which overlay wooden piles. It was slightly battered and faced with large blocks of Portland Stone in pale yellow lime mortar. It had a rubble core. There were sections of fender pile in front of the wall.

The remains of a timber cofferdam were observed along the seaward edge of the quay wall. This had been constructed using planks fitted together to form a solid timber wall. The sections of wall had probably been pre-assembled, as many of the timbers were numbered. Timbers recovered during the watching brief corresponded with cofferdams shown on a plan for a proposed reconstruction of the wall dated 1863.

The quay wall became redundant during the late 19th/early 20th century, and in c1900 the Commanding Ordnance Officer's residence was built over a section of the wall to the north-east of Mill Redoubt (MPM24). Concrete foundations belonging to this building were found to be resting on top of the wall.

Accession No: 2002/391 [1]

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The remains of the quay wall to the Old Gunwharf were also identified in at least one trench excavated during an archaeological evaluation in 1997. Trenches were excavated within the area of a section of quay wall which had formed the north wall to the Basin.

In one trench (Trench 10, approximately SZ631999) the top of the quay wall was revealed 96cms below the present ground level. The wall was 95cms wide. Its south face had been constructed from blocks of Purbeck limestone and had a slight batter (angle). A fill of loose bricks and soil was situated immediately above the wall, and re-deposited gravel was present to the south. It was thought likely that the upper courses of stonework had been removed when the Basin was filled with gravel during the 1920s.

A loose fill of brick and stone observed in a second trench (Trench 9, approximately SZ631999) may have represented the remains of a section of badly damaged quay wall. There were no traces of courses of stonework present.

Accession No: 2013/112 [2]

<1> Gifford and Partners Ltd, 2003, Ariadne and Piazza, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth: Results of the Archaeological Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SPM315.

<2> The Conservation Practice, 1997, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, An Archaeological Evaluation. Part Two: Site Investigation (Unpublished document). SPM326.