Cellars at 13 Market Place, Warwick

Description of this historic site

Two cellars were recorded at the Listed Building that used to from part of the Tilted Wig, formerly the Green Dragon. Both cellars were cut into the bedrock and associated with the use of the pub in the Imperial period.

Notes about this historic site

1 Archaeological recording took place in April 2005 in the lower cellar of the 18th-century Grade II Listed Building which originally formed part of the public house (The Tilted Wig, formerly The Green Dragon) immediately to the north. The pub was a coaching inn dating back to at least 1805 and the premises have been licensed since 1694. The ground floor of No 13 is currently a shop but the small lower cellar, which is barrel vaulted and cut into c.0.80m or more of bedrock, is not used. A blocked up stone archway was recorded in the northern cellar wall which would once have led into the cellar of the adjoining part of the public house. The opening has been blocked by seven courses of hand-made bricks. It was presumably blocked up when No 13 became a separate building. On the south wall of the cellar is a blocked-up doorway or opening through the bedrock, blocked with machine made bricks.
The site was re-visited in August 2005 after the bricked-up doorway had been partly opened up. A further cellar was discovered, of a similar size to the first but square rather than rectangular. This cellar room was completely rock-cut. Late 19th-century pottery, iron straps, basketry, and an eggshaped Hamilton glass bottle were recovered from within the room, the floor of which was covered with soil c.0.30m deep.

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