Recent field projects - Suffolk County Council
Watson's Potteries, Wattisfield
A programme of archaeological evaluation, excavation and monitoring, funded by Bakers Construction in advance of housing development, was carried out in April 2006 on land that was formerly a part of the family run business, Henry Watson’s Potteries at Pottery Hill, Wattisfield.
The history of pottery manufacture in and around Wattisfield dates back to the Roman period. Henry Watson’s Potteries was established in the early 19th century; although various small potteries existed in Suffolk during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Watson’s developed into a regional and national supplier and survived as a business to the present day.
The
development area had formerly been occupied by a 19th century yard and
bottle kiln bordered by three ranges of buildings. Subsequent changes
saw a still extant kiln, built in 1940/41, and then a modern factory
after a devastating fire in 1963. Archaeological fieldwork centred on
the area adjacent to the 1940’s kiln after the demolition of the factory
and established that while the 19th-20th century bottle kiln had been
totally removed, traces of the contemporary building ranges survived, as
did two possible wells of 19th century date.
The main area of excavation identified the flues of a drying floor
connected to the still standing down-draught kiln and chimney
constructed in 1940/41. After the fire in 1963 these flues were infilled
and covered by the new factory concrete floor. Following excavation the
area was re-covered and the structures have been preserved in situ.
Two previously unknown structures were located, and are of particular interest. The first was the base of a 19th century kiln or drying floor which lay partially under the standing kiln and has been preserved in situ. The second was a quadrant of a circular brick pad, which was of unknown function but may be the base of another 19th century kiln or a pug mill.
Post-excavation work relied heavily upon material provided by Mr
Jeremy Watson, from the substantial, documentary and artefactual private
archive of the family business. The co-operation of the developer, Baker
Construction, also meant that the 1940’s drying floor and the possible
19th century kiln were preserved in situ. This project has demonstrated
that a full study could produce a complete history of all aspects of the
business and would be a valuable exercise as the combination of the
physical site, the family business and its private archive forms a
historical asset of regional importance, being a rare, if not unique
example of a 19th-20th century pottery in East Anglia.
The Roman Kiln
As you may know, the Romans had an army of occupation in England from the 1st to the 4th Century A.D. Establishing a bridgehead on the south coast in A.D. 43 they gradually spread north and east reaching East Anglia early in their occupation.
When they came to Wattisfield the Bronze Age and Iron Age potters had already been using the local clay for nearly 2,000 years. The kiln shown here was one of upwards of a dozen grouped on a site less than half a mile from here. Well over 20 similar kilns have been identified within a 1.5 mile radius of this pottery.
This kiln would have been fired with wood and brushwood to around 900oC. A firing load of assorted sizes might consist of between 400 and 500 pieces. The dome would be formed with soft clay slabs and suitable vent holes left for firing draught and control. This type of kiln could easily be packed with fairly large pots at its base to form a flue for firing draught and heat circulation and a floor would not be essential.