Following an evaluation in early spring, the excavation of the High Street frontage began in late July 2006 with machining off the modern overburden.  It was removed from the entire burgage plot, which stretched back some 40 metres from the High Street frontage.  The machine excavation started at the street frontage.

Building remains, first revealed by evaluation, were re-exposed and cleaned.  These included the base of a bread oven and what appeared to be an inglenook fireplace. 

The building was partly cellared, with steps spiralling down from the front of the building.  Within the exposed cellar wall were recesses, probably used for storage.  The cellar was filled with two modern man-holes fed by pipes that extended the entire length of the site.  The trench for these pipes truncated many archaeological features...

....included this - an area of heated clay and tile that was covered by 100s of broken clay pipe stems and bowls.  The clay pipe bowls were stamped by their manufacturer, John Roberts, who was making clay pipes in Much Wenlock from 1680-1685.  We hoped that this was his kiln.

Clay pipe made by John Roberts   

After limited cleaning and visits by several enthusiastic clay pipe specialist, it was agreed by all that it was indeed a kiln for clay pipe production.

This is the base of a clay pipe kiln, with two levels of brick floor bound in clay and a single course of brick wall.  The bricks in the wall were broken and probably corbelled to form a circular dome-shaped kiln

The brick base of the kiln as rectangular, with stone and brick packing at its edge.

Older features excavated  included ditches, rubbish pits and post-holes that dated from the medieval period.  These were dated by pottery recovered from their backfill. 

A stone lined drain and rectangular medieval building were frantically excavated during the last two site days.  The function of the building was unclear.  Below the stone floor of the building was an earlier clay form that had been baked solid by intense heat.  The heat oxidised the underlying clay bright orange. 

The stone drain ran south east from the south east corner of the building.

Reporting

Unpublished report - High Street, Much Wenlock: post-excavation assessment - Daniel Lewis, 2008

This report is available at the Archaeological Data Service site

To view or download the report click here