Oakwellgate, brick kiln

Found in excavation 1999. The remains of a brick and sandstone rubble structure were found, surviving to 42cm wide and 53cm high. It could have measured 4 x 6 metres across. The external wall was sandstone, the internal skin or lining brick. Inside were three rows of unmortared bricks (flues for heat distribution) set on edge 6cm apart. They were covered by fine-grained sooty black and reddish-brown clayey soil containing fragments of brick which had been subject to intense heat. The association of clay tobacco pipemaking waste (HER 2045) suggests a dual function for the kiln. The kiln was out of use by the early 18th century, although Bourne's reference to the 'Brick Kiln Field' in 1736 suggests that this activity continued elsewhere in the area. During the watching brief after the excavation of 1999, possible traces of other brick kilns were found east of the Rectory.