| Abstract: |
Excavations carried out in the 1960s on the site of the Carmelite Friary at Coventry revealed the lost church, of unexpected size and splendour, adjoining the standing east range of the cloister. It was founded in 1342 by Sir John Poulteney, a pre-eminent merchant and Draper, and Lord Mayor of London. Stonework was recovered giving some impression of its architectural character, with some indications of wall paintings, as well as large quantities of painted window glass and some sculptural pieces and encaustic tiles, including mosaic tiles. The report includes the first detailed examination of the standing east claustral range. This is augmented by historical illustrations, many published for the first time. There is also a study of the surviving choir stalls; these were set above acoustic chambers in the choir. Small finds include an oyster shell palette; an enamelled roundel from a fifteenth-century Hungarian chalice; early-sixteenth-century Venetian millifiori glass; imported pottery; local wares including a bird whistle and a cucurbit; pilgrim badges; a Valenciennes cloth seal; coins from Ireland and Scotland; a pair of spectacles; Nuremberg thimbles and sewing rings; and amber, jet and quartz rosary beads. An attempt is made to reconstruct the appearance of the friary in the fifteenth century, including the architectural expression of the chapter house, the reredorter and the gate houses. Comparative plans of other Carmelite houses in Britain and Europe are illustrated for comparison. The friary was dissolved in 1538 and purchased by John Hales in 1544 who set up a grammar and music school in the choir and converted the east cloister range into a mansion. The church was finally destroyed in 1573--74. Includes French and German summaries, and separately authored chapters on |
