5th April 2017:

A team from Oxford Archaeology completed the re-excavation of a 17th century stoneware kiln, with some of the excavators who originally dug the kiln in 1974 on hand to watch proceedings

Once the protective foam had been removed, the structure, thought to be the earliest stoneware kiln in Britain, was carefully excavated and recorded by the archaeologists over a period of a week. Some of the kiln’s original excavators were invited to view the work, and shared their experiences of the 1974 dig with the current team. The work also generated a lot of interest among pottery specialists, some of whom were also present to observe the excavation.

The detailed information recorded by the team will be analysed and used to address questions about the construction, date and duration of the kiln. Already, though, the investigation is providing exciting results. A digital 3D model of the kiln has been created using data from a photogrammetric survey of the kiln, and will be uploaded to this page soon.