A number of incredible items - some dating back around 700 years - have been found by archaeologists at Draper's Hall in Coventry.

The current dig at the city centre site is the continuation of a project that began in the 1980s but was halted when it ran out of money.

But now the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) is working with Historic Coventry Trust and The Prince's Foundation to finish the work and discover more about the commercial heart of medieval Coventry.

Among the finds made so far at Draper's Hall is a stone mould that would have been used for casting metals in the 14th or 15th century.

It features an engraved daisy wheel. The symbol is often seen on the walls of churches as a protective symbol, so perhaps it was added to ensure that casting went well.

One of the incredible finds made during archaeological dig at Draper's Hall in Coventry
One of the incredible finds made during archaeological dig at Draper's Hall in Coventry

Other items uncovered in the dirt so far include:

  • two blue and white ladle bowls with the heraldic arms of the Drapers Company recovered from an 18th or 19th century rubbish pit
  • a bird bone pen with a tapering ‘nib’ which would have been dipped in ink, likely from the 1500s or 1600s
  • a fragment of painted medieval glass may which have once been part of the nearby Benedictine Priory and Cathedral of St Mary.

You can see these finds and more, plus photos from the dig itself, in the gallery below:

Excavation in the 1980s

The dig on Bayley Lane in 1988-89 revealed extensive medieval and post-medieval cellars and stone-lined pits, lying within a ditch thought to belong to an earlier castle bailey.

Coventry was once famous for its production of sought-after blue fabric - hence the saying ‘as true as Coventry blue’ - and it is believed that these pits were involved in the process of cloth preparation.

Coventry was the boom town of late medieval England, its wealth stemming from the production of wool and woollen cloth, and the medieval Drapers’ Hall was the largest cloth market outside London.

What's next for the building?

Drapers' Hall, an early 19th century Grade II listed building, has been empty and mostly unused for nearly 30 years - but it is now being turned into a vibrant music venue and education centre in time for Coventry's year as City of Culture in 2021.

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