SIGNIFICANT medieval discoveries have been made as part of Winchester College’s Sports Centre redevelopment.

The site at Kingsgate Park has been subject to archaeological monitoring as a result of planning conditions, with the first finds made in May 2020, followed by further investigations since.

Pottery and a knife from the medieval period were unearthed first, followed by part of an historic lane with a stone-lined well, also from the same period.

The lane that was discovered has been identified as Gynge Lane, which was last mapped in the 1370s. A team of archaeologists plotted the exact route of the lane, and recovered and recorded all findings of significance. The lane runs directly across the path of the new Winchester College Sports Centre up to St Cross Road, with the main reception entrance and corridor sitting over the line of the lane.

Two past residents appear in historic records as living on “Gynge” Lane in 1320: Ralph, the Clerk to the Cathedral, and William of Exeter.

The well is of the same age and sits to the side of the lane, which is unusual and perhaps indicates that it was a commercial well. A total of 5,000 items, dating back to 1320, were removed from the site to be researched further.

Despite delays to the project caused by the archaeological findings and Covid, the new state-of-the-art facilities are still on track to be completed in 2022, allowing pupils to enjoy and participate in a variety of sports and providing much improved facilities for the local community.