Coleshill Gatehouse

3D Model

Archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology, working on behalf of LM for HS2 excavated and recorded the site of Coleshill manor, in Warwickshire. The team were astonished to discover the well-preserved remains of a gatehouse (seen here).

Based on historical comparisons, the gatehouse is thought to be a mid to late 14th-century addition to the manor. It had a central gate passage, probably accessed via a causeway or drawbridge, flanked by two octagonal towers. Footings for rooms were found to the rear, perhaps for guards or porters, and garderobe chutes in the wall.

It is thought to have been an elaborate, multi-storeyed structure that served both a protective and a prestige role, until at least the mid-17th century.

Facing stone had been preserved suggesting and it was also possible to identify several tool and mason’s marks.The fortified gatehouse was seemingly involved in armed engagement, with around 200 impact marks from pistol shots and musket balls on its outer side.